Mortal Bonds
by PhantomLilac
Summary: After months of being the slave of an abusive master chosen by the Allfather, Loki escapes Asgard and lands on Midgard. To be exact, Avengers Towers. Tony Stark feels vengeance is deserved the moment he arrives, but quickly discovers that not only has Loki lost some of his memories, he is now also blind. Thor/ki, Frost/Iron, Loki/Svaldifari Blind!Loki, Mpreg, Abuse
1. Chapter 1

Loki fell backwards as Svaldifari slapped him again, striking him hard with the back of his hand. He let out a choking sob, his eyes widening as Svaldifari loomed over him, grabbing the back of his raven hair and slamming it to the ground.

"Don't you raise your voice at me! Know your place in this house, whore!" the man snarled viciously into his ear. He tugged at Loki's hair once more, making him arch off the ground slightly and scream.

"Stop it, you're hurting me!" Loki wailed like a small child, trembling and shuddering underneath Svaldifari's hands. He trembled as his master, the man Odin had turned him over to, gently tugged at Loki's trousers, ready to pull them off. He was always wanting to rut. Loki didn't usually struggle, how could he, with his magic bound and no way to get away from Svaldifari?

This time it was different. Loki kicked, screeched, and fought, his hands clawing at the much stronger man as he forced him onto the ground, shoving a knee in between his legs to keep him from escaping.

"I said, shut up!" Svaldifari punched him in the chest. Hard. His eyes lulled to the back of his head as he gasped for air between delirious whimpers and sobs. Loki couldn't stop crying.

'Why Allfather, why?' he thought tearily. 'Why couldn't you just kill me or exile me? Why this? I would've gone for anything but this...'

CRACK! There was a loud crashing noise, and suddenly Svaldifari was no longer on top of him, rather sprawled out on the ground beside the skinny god of mischief. Loki felt someone wrap an arm underneath his own, hoisting him to his feet, and then suddenly...

A hug. Who was hugging him? Who had knocked his master to the cold cobblestone floor from whence he had lain seconds before?

"Brother, _I'm so sorry..."_ was the rough whisper Loki thought he'd never hear. After months of being kept here, Loki expected anything but this voice.

Thor. Thor had come for him at last, come to rescue him from this horrifyingly cruel punishment weighing over his shoulders.

"Thor?" Loki could but groan, his head spiraling dizzy with pain as he slumped into his brother's arms, unable to function properly on his own.

"I'm going to get you out of here. You're going to have to help me a little bit." Thor grunted.

Loki didn't remember much of what happened afterwards. He was lifted onto a snorting horse, who bucked at first at his arrival but Thor quickly calmed it, taking up the saddle from behind Loki.

They rode for a long time, the gentle gliding over the forest terrain making the black-maned god quickly tire. He rested his head against Thor's chest.

"I couldn't come earlier. I had to wait, for the Allfather to go into Odinsleep. If I had known, If I had known what that brute had done to you..." Thor explained, his voice wavering.

Loki didn't respond. Thor wasn't even sure if he was listening. But he continued on as soon as they reached a cave, helping him back down on unsteady feet.

Thor led him through the shadowy, dark tunnels. Still, Loki was silent. He didn't know what to say. His mind couldn't make words, or process anything that had just happened. Instead, it was replaced with the throbbing feeling of Svaldifari yanking and beating him around the head.

When Thor paused, Loki tensed, his lips moving as he swallowed a knot of fear in his throat.

"You will have to enter the portal alone, for now. It will take you to Midgard, the location I do not know. I promise, my brother, I will come join you when the initial suspicions die down." Thor bellowed, rubbing Loki's shoulder affectionately and gesturing for him to go onwards.

Loki hesitated, his face twisting into this look of pure terror. Thor's gut wrenched at the very sight of it, and he pulled Loki into another hug, allowing him to weep until his eyes couldn't take it anymore.

This was not the Loki from months ago that had previously terrorized Midgard. This Loki was broken. Thor wondered in the back of his mind if Svaldifari's previous bindings on Loki's magic had a negative effect on Loki's own sanity, but quickly dismissed the idea, thinking more so of the treatment he had witnessed an hour before. He swore he would murder Svaldifari if it was the last thing he would do.

"Thor, please...please _don't_..." Loki whimpered, unable to form a complete sentence, before he stumbled, pushing himself away. He understood some of Thor's words. Go. Get Away. Get away from Svaldifari. Go now.

As he stepped waywardly into the portal, he heard some sort of cry from Thor, something sounding like "goodbye", but it was so muffled that Loki wasn't even quite sure. Maybe it was all in his head.

Seconds later, he found himself drenched in darkness. Feeling some sort of cold flooring beneath him, he stumbled and collapsed, every sense cutting off at once, onto the ground below him.

~.::.~

Tony Stark awoke to a crashing sound outside his floor of Avengers Towers. He groaned.

"JARVIS, what the hell is going on?"

He suspected it was another Avenger. Steve liked to go for runs. And liked to spar. He could be fighting with another one of his teammates. Or maybe Bruce had hulked out. In that case, that would be very, very bad, but it was highly unlikely. Clint and Nat weren't ones to normally cause trouble around the towers.

"It would appear that someone has landed on your balcony, sir." the robotic voice replied.

Tony rolled his eyes. This had better not be Coulson, now that he was apparently 'back from the dead' and all that.

He threw off his trousers, the only thing he had been wearing to bed, and forced himself to dress into some nicer attire-in a way.

Tony stepped out of his room, looking about for a moment, before crossing the high-technology surrounding and to the balcony doors.

Outside the glass, even before he opened it, he could see a figure covered in a thick cloak. He couldn't see their face at all, just that they looked in a very...unusual and uncomfortable position. He nearly winced, his stomach churning at the welling amounts of blood puddling around them.

Had someone jumped off the side of his towers, if so how had they gotten on the top in the first place?

"Hey bud, you okay? Can you not be dead?" Tony stammered as he stepped out, not quite sure how to approach this stranger. The person let out a moan of pain, still not moving.

Tony Stark bent down beside him, gently beginning to peel away the cloak, before he threw it back overtop of the body, looking away as if he were to hurl.

So much blood. So much blood, and wounds, and...

Loki.

He _hated_ Loki. He threw Tony out a window months ago, and he wasn't about to be fond of the god.

But even so, something was wrong. How had he escaped Asgard? Why was he covered in Thor's cape? Had Thor sent him here? And why was he drenched in so much blood?

Tony tapped into his intercom.

"Hey Bruce? Steve? Can you guys come up to my balcony? _Right now?"_


	2. Chapter 2

Tony didn't like how still Loki was underneath the gentle white quilt Bruce had scrummaged up to place him in. Beneath the facade of the placid colors, was a heavily abused god. Tony had insisted they at least bind his wrists to keep him from trying to choke anyone if he awoke.

The mischief maker's face, although naturally pale and had high-cheek bones, was skin-and-bone in stark comparison to his menacing behavior from before. His cheeks were even more shadowed out, his closed eyes lost in dark circles. The blood that had formerly crusted his face had been carefully wiped off, scratch marks had healed on their own rather quickly once Bruce had seen to it that he got proper care.

Steve was frowning, his lips in a thin line upon his face.

"You figure out what's wrong with him yet?" Steve asked plainly. Bruce sort of nodded, then shook his head.

"Yes, and no, I can guess what might have occurred, but I'd like to hear from his own words how, and why, he is here." Bruce said with a shrug. Tony rolled his eyes.

"It's probably a trick. This guy's a fucking _murderer_ for the love of-" Tony began, but was cut off by Steve quickly.

"You don't want to wake him up! Tone it down, Stark." he warned, blue eyes leering in challenge. The billionaire huffed, puckering his lips into a scowl.

Loki's head turned weakly for the first time the whole night. Everyone in the room froze. He was waking up.

'Good going, Tony. Real great job, pissing off the norse god,' Tony thought to himself.

That's when Loki's eyes fluttered open.

But they were different.

His green eyes were covered by a grayish, milky film. It was odd to look at, and rather painful.

"...where in Nornheim..." he groaned, shifting to sit up but the handcuffs placed on his wrists made him jerk back down.

That's when Loki panicked.

'Why can't I see!? Why can't I move!?' he thought frantically, struggling with the bindings. He tried to summon magic, but it wasn't working either.

A flash of some distant memory caught his mind. Just a snippet of one, a tiny leaf-cutting off of a bush of lost memories.

'Be good for Master. Be good for Master...' he reminded himself, though he didn't know who 'Master' was anymore. He was so frightened, so intimidated.

"Woah woah woah, calm yourself, jeez!" Tony growled. Steve sharply turned on him.

"What did I just say?" Steve responded in irritation. All three of the Avengers members were tired from lack of sleep, as it was now nearly 2 in the morning and only now had Loki conveniently awakened for them.

Loki's milky eyes flickered back and forth in the room, his nostrils flared and sweat beading down his forehead, but now even his weak state he sneered.

"A whole squad of Avengers here to kill me? Odin must've been _generous_ in his punishment, handing me over to the mortals to die! Go on then, slay me! If that is what you want, I cannot summon my Seidr, and I'm bound by your obnoxious methods of restraint. I am yours to murder." he snorted bitterly.

Bruce didn't respond immediately to his answer, was rather taken aback from it.

After a few moments of just watching Loki, in his enraged and very battered form, a lightbulb in Bruce's mind alit. Loki's eyes were staring straight ahead into space. Something was very, very different about him.

"So who am I?" Bruce asked calmly to the god. Loki scoffed.

"You smashed me into a building, did you not?" Loki croaked, this time a bit tiredly.

Bruce nodded, clapping his hands together once. Loki's head jerked into Bruce's direction. His previous gaze, locked on no particular person, had snapped onto Bruce, but his eyes did not focus on Bruce's face. This concerned the doctor, made him raise an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Bruce, what are you getting onto? Why don't we ask him how he got here?" Tony impatiently growled.

Loki's face darkened into one of doubt, and his whole body trembled.

"You...you don't know why I'm here?" he asked, tipping his head to a side. Tony crossed his arms.

"No." Tony bluntly replied.

Loki's eyes grew wide, and he cleared his throat, stating, "I don't remember. I don't remember coming here...at all..."

Silence.

Steve and Bruce exchanged a worried glance.

Now they had more problems. They had an amnesiac criminal. A criminal they did not want here. A criminal they didn't want to help, but probably needed their help most of all.

"What _do_ you remember?" Steve queried. Loki's head snapped to his direction.

"Well...I remember..." Pause. Loki tried to think. What did he remember? It wasn't much.

"I know who you are. I know who all of you are...but I don't remember...why I came to Midgard the first time..." Loki then let out a hiss of pain, his body shuddering before his eyes welled up and he began to weep.

"I can't remember...I _can't_..." he cried, struggling again to free himself from his restraint. Tony moved to hold him down while he kicked and screamed.

"NO! Don't..._DON'T TOUCH ME!"_ Loki wailed, his eyes so big Tony could see the whites.

The Stark Industries owner stumbled back at Loki's sudden outbursts and cries. He looked to Bruce, who prepared the sedative. They had been worried Loki would grow uncooperative.

The black-haired god continued to struggle and shriek, before at last his eyes drooped into sleep. Without his magic, and the state he was already in, his body could not resist the mortal medicines that coaxed him into dreamland.

Steve, shaken, looked to Bruce.

"Should we call in Fury for this one?"

Bruce glanced over at the exhausted silvertongue, before shaking his head.

"Let's wait it out a little while." Bruce stammered.

Tony glanced at the two of them, equally as shaken.

"Hey guys, it can't just be me that notices this, but I think whoever tortured him...made him _blind_." Tony finally said.

Bruce sadly sighed.

"Great. We have our number one war criminal here, and he's both blind and amnesiac. We can only hope Thor shows up sometime soon and takes him back to Asgard."

Steve swallowed.

"I think it was the Asgardian Court that did this," Steve theorized a bit uneasily, "But, you're right, let's pray that Thor does show up."

But that hope quickly died.


	3. Chapter 3

_"You will long for something sweet as pain," a voice crooned in his ear. Loki whirled to face it, but found he was seeing nothing but darkness._

_"You belong to me!" another voice screamed, making him wince. Loki staggered blindly in the shadows, clutching his head feverishly._

_"Go away, get out of my head! Leave me alone!" he wept, but no one heard him._

_He felt something cold and scaly touch the most sensitive place between his legs. Loki shrieked, trying to pull away, but all too quickly he was dragged to his invisible attacker, something hard prodding at him._

_His green eyes flickered around, his boney fingers clawing at the ground around him, and at last he could see a shady, muscular silhouette looming over him, ready to take him. He swallowed hard, the blood roaring in his earlobes, and then suddenly was met with deafening silence._

~.::.~

Loki awakened, panting and shivering, beads of sweat and tears running down the corners of his eyelids. It had just been a dream, right? He prayed that was only a dream. His heart was still racing wildly in his chest, in sync with his reeling, throbbing headache.

He parted his lips, throat raw and taut from crying, and tried to sit up, only to feel hands push him back down, gently restraining him.

"Rest as long as you need," Steve Rogers argued, "are you alright?"

Loki's brows furrowed at the question. Was he alright? Was. He. Alright!?

"Oh no, I'm just in the home of my enemies, and can't remember how I got here! I'm the image of serenity. Perfectly fine, thank you," he sarcastically sneered, turning his chin so he was facing him.

Steve swallowed hard, the blind gaze of Loki settled on him. Those eyes, though...they were so sickening to look at. They may be gazing in his direction, but they were blank, no matter how hard he tried to conceal his weakness, Loki's faltering gaze was unfocused, the one flaw showing the vulnerability of the Aesir.

Steve sighed, shaking his head to get his mind off of those milky eyes.

"You still don't remember much? Can you describe what you do remember, even if it is very little?" Steve queried.

Loki shifted, blinking a few times, before staring straightaways upwards at the ceiling.

"I was in...in a city. People were screaming and running miles below me...lots of objects in the sky...Thor had slammed me to the ground and insisted I had done something, I do not know what." He paused, as if relieving his horrors, no matter how vague.

"I was on one of the...the flying contraptions. I had escaped on it, and chased the redheaded woman. Romanoff, right?"

"Correct, that would be Natasha. Continue?"

Loki nodded, and finished, "th...then your Hulk laid some good scratches upon me. All of you...'Avengers' threatened me and sent me to Asgard with Thor. The rest's incredibly hazy." Loki slowly responded in hesitation. He licked his pale, thin lips to wet them, before speaking again.

"If you are going to send me to your leader, go on ahead. But I swear that is all I can remember. I do not know why I was in Midgard before, and I do not know why I am now." Loki spat, his lower lip quivering into a defiant pout.

Honestly, Steve was confused, and doubtful. This was Loki. God of lies, god of mischief, right before his eyes, and insisting he had no truly worthwhile memories of the attack he had brought upon Earth.

He reached over, gently removing the cuffs on Loki's wrists with caution, allowing him slowly to sit up. Loki muttered some sort of thanks, rubbing his wrists rawly and with tire.

Steve grabbed the red cloak, presumably Thor's, that Loki had arrived wrapped within. He set it into the god's pale hands, allowing him to blindly feel it.

"This is my brother's." Loki said plainly.

"We found you in it. Does it ring a bell?" Steve responded hopefully.

Loki cocked his head, scowling.

"I do not see what Thor's cape has to do with the chime of a bell," Loki snarled back. Steve stifled his own amusement.

"It's a phrase. It means, 'does it remind you of anything?'"

Loki shrugged, shaking his head sadly, but groped the cape gently, as if searching for some sort of clue. The raven-haired god closed his eyes, holding the bright crimson cape closely underneath his nose and took in a deep breath.

Steve moved, with extra care to take the cloth from Loki, who jerked suddenly.

"No!" Loki shrieked, making Steve stumble back. It was soothing Loki, with the comfort his brother shed to him suddenly gone, Steve understood why he flipped a lid when he had tried to take it.

"Alright, you can keep the cape." Steve calmly replied, "I'll be going for now. By the way, this will be your room until we figure out how to contact Thor. It's on Tony's floor, just be a bit careful around him."

Loki nodded, pulling the cape up over him as a comforting blanket and allowed his eyelids to shut.

Steve left the room unlocked, standing outside it for several minutes in worry Loki might try to escape, but when he heard snores from inside, he turned and left it alone.

What had he gotten himself into?


	4. Chapter 4

It was for several days that once again the God of Mischief did not reappear from his bedroom. At first, Tony had worried (though of course, didn't show his concern to his companions) that perhaps he had died, or hurt himself. He had asked JARVIS to check on Loki, and got the response that he was alive and well. But that was it. Not a word slipped from that door, not a single 'hello' or 'leave me alone' or 'Kneel before me, mortal scum', none of the stuff Tony had expected. Just silence.

Steve stood by the stove, flipping pancakes in his pan, humming some tune from Wizard of Oz. He was smiling, Bruce sitting gently at a bar stool, while Tony waltzed over, a look of tire on his face.

"No sign of Reindeer Games?" Tony asked with boredom and exhaustion. He had just awoken, spending all night working on some new gadget.

Bruce shrugged.

"If you're referring to Loki, then no, he's not taken a single step from the room we gave him." he responded.

"Until now."

Tony jolted when he heard the icy tone of Loki's words, who was standing at a timid distance from them, hesitantly sniffing the air.

"What is that oddly appeasing aroma?" he continued curiously.

"Pancakes and bacon. Care to join us? I'll fix you a plate," Rogers offered.

Loki nodded, taking a few steps forward towards the smell, but was heading right towards the head of the table, about to smack his ribs against the furniture. Tony jerked, quickly catching his wrist before he could get hurt. He saw Loki's pale nostrils flare for a moment, fear gripping him as if he'd never been touched by anything in his life.

"What are you-"

"You almost hit the table, Reindeer Games," Tony grumbled, "Be thankful I stopped you before you were soaked from head to toe in my beer and bruised up."

Loki's blind gaze shifted to his feet, and he swallowed.

"I suppose you are correct. I cannot see where I was going. Is there some sort of reclining throne I could sit upon to eat these..." he trailed off, unsure of what to call Steve's rather appealing breakfast.

"Pancakes. And bacon." Steve repeated.

"I have an open seat beside me," Bruce offered. When he saw Loki's hesitation, he seemed to understand.

"Scared I'm going to smash you? The other guy...he isn't here right now." Bruce reassured. Loki didn't argue this time when Tony put a hand on his shoulder, leading him slowly to the seat and helping him sit upon the wooden bar stool without harming himself.

Loki sat in silence, contemplating the moment. He still couldn't believe it. Here he was, dining with his enemies. Consuming this...pancakes and bacon dish that the patriot was serving. Letting the snarky man of iron help him onto a chair. Seated beside the very man that had smashed him into pieces onto the ground and dented the very room he was currently idly waiting in.

'God damn it Thor, show up and give me some answers! Why the hell am I here for the love of the Norns!?' he thought bitterly, but kept a reflective mask of no emotion on his face.

Steve placed the meal in front of Loki, and the god felt around the plate for his fork. Steve had kindly cut up the pancakes into small portions for him, understanding it would be very difficult for Loki otherwise. He swallowed hard, nervously watching as Loki lifted the fluffy, warm bite to his mouth, before popping it in. The god paused, examining this delectable piece, before noticeably savoring it, moving to finish the rest. Steve sighed in relief.

"See Tony? I don't cook that poorly!" he scorned. Tony shrugged, a sneer crossing his face.

"Everyone's tastes are different, Captain Spandex." he teased.

"Can we not start this argument again?" Steve groaned. Bruce swallowed the piece of bacon he had hungrily been chomping upon to glare at the two.

"Can we not start anything while we have a guest?" Bruce countered, his eyes narrowing. Both backed off, and Loki smirked in utter amusement, but did not say anything, licking his lips after in only seconds, finishing off the entire plate.

Steve blinked. Loki was a fast eater indeed. He kept a mental note he might need to buy more pancake mix.

"Want more?" he asked. Loki's blind gaze lit up with mischief.

"Yes please. I'd like at least ten, if that is alright..."

~.::.~

Tony stood on the balcony, a beer in hand, looking at the glittery stars beginning to sweep the dark, yet vibrant dusk sweeping the atmosphere. The way New York's bright lights seemed to reflect the sky's uncorrelated patterns was oddly beautiful that night, and he was surprised he hadn't ever noticed it before.

After breakfast, Loki had vanished back into his bedroom wordlessly, having eaten every pancake that the whole box of pancake mix could make. Tony had made off with a single pancake. Loki had made off with 37.

His presence still disturbed the billionaire. If anything, Tony didn't trust him. But he had a deep, dark feeling that what Loki said was absolutely true. That he didn't remember anything that happened in New York the first time he had arrived.

The moment Loki had opened his eyes upon his return to Avengers Towers, Tony had seen it. He hadn't said a word to any of the other Avengers, but it troubled him. He wasn't sure if he was right or not...

But he had sworn Loki's eyes were bright, sky blue when he had first attacked New York. Now, even in the milky film covering and obscuring the god's vision, they were emerald green.

It was an odd little quirk. Something that made Tony nervous. It made his stomach churn at the thought that maybe Loki wasn't even behind the attack, wasn't in control...he didn't remember anything before falling off the Bifrost, hadn't he said this? It was all suspicious. But Tony needed proof before he could believe anything, and that proof would be Thor, who wasn't here to explain anything.

He heard the balcony door slide open, and someone wordlessly slipped through, standing waywardly from Tony. The brunette man turned his head slightly, to see those odd, unseeing green orbs staring out at the city. Tony glanced from the beautiful sight of the city, back to Loki.

'It's a shame he can't see this,' he thought almost pitifully, 'he seems like a poetic, romanticist kind'a guy.'

"I do hope I do not offend you with my presence, but it was awfully tight being in the same quarters for three days and I needed some fresher air." Loki said, his gaze still resting upon the city he might never see again.

Tony frowned.

"Nah. I'm not. Want a beer?" he asked. Loki shrugged.

"Ah yes indeed, I would like that drink now." Loki replied. It took Tony to get what Loki was talking about, and then he remembered, and he chuckled. Loki had asked him for a drink after being defeated. Even so, he was still being humorous about it.

"I did promise you one, right?" Tony responded, popping the bottle cap off of another beer bottle and handing it to the god. Loki looked confused for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing as he held the cold thing in his hands.

"You don't drink these in tankards?"

Tony shrugged.

"Straight from the bottle. Cheers-to how nothing makes sense to either of us!"

Tony reached forward, clinking his bottle to Loki's, who looked even more confused now.

"Cheers?" Loki repeated, his unseeing eyes settling onto Tony.

"I forgot...You're all medieval and stuff. It's the same thing as making a toast. Here you say 'Cheers.'" Tony explained.

"Oh. Cheers, I presume then!" Loki said, a bit more contempt now. Tony grinned, both taking a swig of their drinks.

Tony looked back out onto the city, letting out a sigh.

"What does it look like?" Loki asked after a very long while.

The billionaire was sincerely taken by surprise. Of course Loki would ask, Tony reminded himself, he can't see it for himself. For a moment Tony felt this guilty conscious in the back of his mind, this horrible dread hitting him for the fact that this poor man couldn't see, possibly never again.

"The city?"

"Yes. It may be an odd request, but...can you describe it for me?"

Tony swallowed down another sip of his beer.

"Well...uh. The sky is really dark blue and orange on the horizon, the rest of it black with a lot of bright, twinkly stars and stuff. The city is hit by the last rays of sunlight in the sky, making the edges of the big, black rectangle buildings coated in white. It really does look beautiful."

Loki smiled, closing his eyelids and making a smile appear onto his pale, thin lips.

"Mm. It is beautiful," he murmured.

Tony gaped.

"Are you...using magic to see it?"

Loki laughed, the first real laugh Tony had heard the whole time he had been here.

"Of course not. I have no magic at the moment. I'm picturing it in my mind. Your description made an image for me, thank you, Tony." he mused, then turned on his heels and began to leave.

"Wait-you going so soon?" Tony exasperated, a bit sad at losing this amusing company.

Loki shrugged.

"I'm tired. I'll be back when I feel like it." he replied.

Tony stood, puzzled, staring after Loki as he vanished back into the Towers.

What had that all been about? Had the beer messed with his brain enough that he had enjoyed Loki's company?

He looked at the drink, before taking another satisfying sip.

Well, things were getting interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

It had not been until the evening two entire days later, when Bruce and Steve had gone back to their respective floors, that Loki had reappeared before Tony.

In those two whole days, Tony had contemplated and wondered what Loki's visit to him meant, his visit directly and only to Tony that night. Was the god just trying to make a friend, or...more? It seemed odd. Tony felt odd. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks when he thought of the idea of Loki flirting with him. It would never happen. He was blind. He was traumatized. He needed just a friend.

Just...a friend.

Loki opened the balcony doors, rolling his shoulders tiredly and yawning, before going silent.

He was dressed in a casual green v-neck, changing his armor for rather 'earthly' clothing, with jeans and a black sweater. He looked a bit bored, when he stood in the doorway of the balcony, despite being unable to see, seeming to observe Tony.

"I heard you come out here. You been avoiding me?" Tony teased. Loki snorted.

"Avoiding? I assumed you did not want to walk in on me having nightmares and panic attacks." he grumbled.

Tony frowned.

He had had many horrible nightmares and panic attacks in his lifetime. Sometimes, he got so afraid that they were real, that he would try to harm the people around him, forgetting that they were there to help and support him. Perhaps this was what Loki was going through. Recovering from whatever dreadful occurrences happened in Asgard.

"Tony, might I ask you something? I don't expect you to have a complete answer, I don't believe anyone does, but would you be willing to attempt to answer it?"

Tony nodded.

"'Kay, throw it at me."

"What happened to me? When you found me on the balcony, where was I injured? Yes, I was blinded, I got that bit, but..." Loki trailed off.

Tony wasn't sure at all how to answer this question without it being very awkward. But he tried.

"Uh, I guess, your head had a good couple of bruises, and uhm...your lower spine..."

Tony couldn't just say 'your ass was covered in bruises in blood. Someone really fucked you up, literally, dude.' That wouldn't be right. But Loki seemed to catch on, his face paling.

"Damn it, where's Thor when I need answers?" he growled at no one in particular, his face falling in shame.

"Was my answer bad? I'm sorry, man, I'm not that good at these sorts of things!"

Then Loki's eyes were welling in tears. He was taller than Tony, but now he looked so much smaller, crumpling onto his knees and burying his face in his hands.

Tony paused. How the hell do you comfort a weeping god?

It was sudden, and Tony was torn. Does he just stand there and let Loki cry, or does he do something to help him? Loki curled his chin into his knees, his whole face vanishing. Another panic attack. Great. Just what Tony needed.

He placed his beer on the ground, walking over and placing an awkward hand on Loki's shoulder, rubbing it in small circles. His face turned really hot with a mixture of weird emotions. After his breakup with Pepper a month ago, he shouldn't be having these kinds of feelings for other people, but in the week Loki had spent with them, the mysteriousness and charm that Loki possessed...made Tony want to protect him.

He knew it was so soon to have chosen to put some trust into Loki. He knew Steve and Bruce were wary of Loki, a bit distrustful, but maybe...maybe what Loki needed was someone to trust, even this early into his stay. Needed someone to comfort him until Thor could help him. Tony wanted to be this 'someone.' No matter how awkward it seemed.

Loki sniffled, his breaths very shivery.

"Damn...damn the Allfather...damn everything..." he hissed. Tony shuddered, remembering when he used to have panic attacks like this.

"Hey man, big breaths in, big breaths out..." Tony stated, gently patting Loki's back now, alternating between the patting and swirling rubs, in hopes to stir him out of his paranoia.

Loki seemed to follow this advice, shakily pulling his head out of his knees and slumping against the doorway of the balcony, his raven locks falling into his face as he struggled to take in proper breaths.

Tony tried to bring some light to the situation, and asked Loki a question he never thought he would think of in his lifetime.

"So Lokes...are you hungry?" he timidly asked.

Loki blinked, his blind gaze through tears twisting into one of confusion.

"Well...um, yes, I was...was going to ask that, before I was reminded of..." he shuddered again. Tony quickly jumped to his next question before Loki could vanish into a dark abyss of his inner thoughts again.

"Hey, I know a really great restaurant that I could take you to, nobody will notice or bother us-the owner knows me and will let us sit secluded from everyone else, and we can just chat and eat and stuff...sound nice?"

He knew he was probably brainlessly babbling, but as he spoke, Loki nodded, though still frowning slightly.

Tony wondered what the living fuck made the once very intimidating God of Mischief result to sudden break downs. He hadn't cracked for at least seven days now, the last time he had freaked out on them was when they first found him on the balcony, broken and bloody all over the place. That was understandable.

'What the hell happened on Asgard?' he thought bitterly.

It wouldn't be long until at least part of that...was answered.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Come here, bitch."_

_Loki hesitated, eyes wide and tense with fear. He knew what would happen if he did. His whole body began to tremble, and he shook his head._

_Svadilfari's brown eyes narrowed. He took a few steps forward, towering over Loki. Loki was very tall for an Asgardian, but Svadilfari was much, much taller. He grunted, yanking on Loki's black locks, forcefully pulling him to stare right back at him._

_"When I say come, you come, is that clear!?" he snarled menacingly. When Loki didn't respond, he yanked on his hair even harder, making him scream._

_"Yes master!" he yelped, fearing for his own life at the hands of this brute._

_Loki never got a true explanation from the Allfather as to why he chose a complete stranger, at least a stranger to Loki, to be enslaved to. He didn't even receive an answer as to why he was enslaved. Standard Asgardian punishment for the crimes Loki had committed were exile or death. At this point, Loki wished he had been just sent to the gallows._

_Svadilfari was never gentle in his punishing. After he would finish, Loki would silently cry and pray to the Norns that they would kill him and relieve him of his suffering. The prayers were never answered._

_This time, the monster was grabbing some sort of bottle off of his countertops. Loki could see exactly what it was through the clear glass. It was snake venom. He swallowed hard, afraid to move._

_"I have allowed you too many privileges, my pet. You refuse to look at me when I take you, you refuse to come to me when I request your pleasure. Now you will have no reason to look at anyone, ever again."_

_Loki knew exactly what he was doing. _

_He let out a scream for help, kicking and shrieking as Svadilfari swiftly slammed him to the floor. Loki tried to crawl away, hands scrambling across the floor to find something, anything to smash against him in self-defense._

_His master smirked, sitting flat upon Loki's chest, knocking the wind out of the smaller Aesir and preventing him from any movement. He threw the cork out of the glass bottle, using one hand to force one of those emerald eyelids open._

_"No...no Master, please, I'll be good! I won't disobey you again, please..." Loki begged, tears streaming from his eyes. Svadilfari let out a soft hushing sound. The only sound in the room was Loki's haggard breath, afraid as Svadilfari grew still, leaning over slightly and pressing a gentle kiss onto his slave's forehead._

_"Oh, Loki. If only someone loved you enough to save you." he vilely murmured, pouring half of the venom right into Loki's eye._

~.::.~

Loki was very still in the restaurant, staring blankly at the menu placed before him.

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Decided on anything?" he asked.

Loki shrugged.

"I can't read it." he quietly replied. Tony's face turned hot with embarrassment.

"Oh! Oh I forgot, sorry Lokes!"

He scooted his chair closer, placing one hand on the white tablecloth, the other near the menu.

"This place's got everything. What do you usually like in Asgard?" Tony queried patiently.

Loki's pale lips thinned into a grim line.

"I used to have a lot of...roasted bilgesnipe. Thor usually brought it in after a hunt."

Tony remembered Thor mentioning them before, in the SHIELD headquarters. He tensed.

"Umm, well, I take that back, they don't have everything here. Bilgesnipes aren't on Earth."

"Really?" Loki gasped, eyes wide, "That's...odd. I can't say I have been anywhere that didn't have bilgesnipes!"

Loki then sighed, shaking his head.

"Oh well, a shame at the least. Are there any pork dishes?" Loki asked.

Tony nodded.

"Yeah, plenty."

~.::.~

They sat in silence after a long, well-cooked meal, not exhanging a single word. Loki looked a bit troubled as he politely dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief, before settling it back down in his lap.

"What's the matter, Lokes? You were chatting up a storm in the Towers." Tony questioned.

Loki shrugged.

"Not quite sure. I suppose...I am at an unease with my dreams lately." Loki admitted quietly, his unseeing emerald eyes leering onto Tony. The brunette billionaire raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

Tony wondered if Loki was slowly getting any of his memory back, but he dared not ask that, in case it triggered the god to panic. He didn't want him to feel uncomfortable sharing any of his evident torture, if that was the case.

"Well...last night, I had the most bizarre nightmare. There was a man, and I couldn't see his face, but he was much taller than I," Loki unsettlingly began, "and he was threatening me with a bottle of snake poison. He proceeded to pour it into...into my eyes. But I didn't know who he was, or why...but he called me his slave."

His face darkened.

"Would that be a memory?" he asked Tony, as if not able to believe his own words. Tony scowled, not sure what to think of it. It could just very well be a nightmare, but it sounded very realistic. And if it was part of a memory involving Loki's torture, who was to say what more unspeakable things had happened to him?

"I don't know. It's possible, but it could also be a really warped nightmare. I used to have a lot of weird dreams like that." Tony responded.

"Oh?" Loki chirped, suddenly in a cheery mood. Tony was startled for a moment by his sudden change of demeanor, but let it slide. He knew Loki was incredibly...flighty like that.

"Yeah, I'll tell you in the car though, since we've been out so late and we don't wanna be spotted by any crowds, right?" Tony quickly changed the subject. Loki nodded, reaching out for Tony's hand and assistance.

Tony allowed himself to take Loki's hand, swallowing a bit of heat that rose in his cheeks. Loki's hand was so soft and smooth, not at all rugged or war-torn as his own probably were. And he was so gentle in his grip. His blindness left him very dependent on Tony in this past week.

Everything was going perfectly smoothly as he opened the restaurant door. No one had spotted them.

"Alright, now back to-"

As they turned the corner, Tony cut himself off when blinding lights flickered, the roars of a crowd engulfing him.

_"Crap." _


	7. Chapter 7

_Thor had watched from a steady distance, waiting for Svadilfari to leave the little log house at the edge of the woods._

_For the past few days, he had heard nothing put shrieks of pain and dismay, and he knew in his gut they belonged to Loki. His brother._

_His azure eyes scanned the wood line, as he hesitated in his shadowy hideaway, tucked underneath fern fronds and thick leaves. He wanted to know Loki was okay, even though his heart told him, convinced him otherwise._

_At last! He saw the oaf stumble out of the house door, shutting it without a care in the world. He was probably slightly drunkard. It was hard to make an Aesir drunk, but he had heard from his father that Svadilfari was half-Jotun. No surprise there. He was ginormous, and cold in nature._

_Thor carefully scanned, waiting for Svadilfari to have long been out of sight, before creeping towards the doorway. He rattled the doorknob for a moment, realizing that the idiot had forgotten to lock it, before slinking in silently._

_He awaited a moment, swallowing hard, afraid of what he might encounter in this very household. He glanced around the faded hallway, noticing small patches of blood and some other rancid, sweaty smell rising from the walls. A sick feeling hit Thor's stomach. He knew this smell very well, from his times he once spent down at the whorehouses. This was the scent of sex, and a lot of it. _

_Moving swiftly, Thor made his way into a bedroom that was hanging wide open. The sight before his eyes made his mouth gape open in horror._

_Loki was cradling himself on a bed, back turned from the world, his whole body shaking. He was stark naked, pale, and swollen, purple bruises covered his buttocks and hips. Someone had gripped him awfully hard, and he could see thin traces of blood lining the mattress._

_"Brother!" Thor cried, rushing towards the bed. He cared not if he got dirty, as he scooped Loki into his arms, wiping the blood from his face._

_"Th...thor?" the smaller man whimpered, shuddering violently in his grip. Thor gritted his teeth, holding him close to his own body in an attempt to warm him._

_"I am here, I will protect you."_

"Thor!"_ Loki repeated, a little more desperately. His hands patted Thor's neck, his face, and at that moment, Thor realized, saw it in Loki's oddly milky, distant gaze, that Svadilfari had blinded his brother. _

_"Did _he_ do this?" Thor touched his brother's darkened eyelids with his fingertips ever so gently, making tears leak out of them. Loki nodded, another sob erupting from his throat._

_"Please get me out...out of here! Please Thor, say that Father is releasing me from this torture!" Loki begged, grabbing onto his red tunic like it was a lifeline._

_Thor scowled a bit, not at Loki, but the thought of Odin. He couldn't believe himself, that Odin had allowed this to happen. Even though he doubted Odin knew the extent to which Svadilfari would go, this had not gone well whatsoever._

_"I want you to tell me everything that has happened here, so I may plead your case to Father and bring you home. Loki, what has Svadilfari done to you?" _

_He knew, just by Loki's broken and haggard appearance, what exactly Svadilfari had done. But he needed to hear it from Loki, no matter how painful it was, so that Odin could be convinced. His father was stubborn, this Thor knew, and would not accept it any other way._

_Loki let out a wayward sob, violently shaking and hyperventilating, and Thor gently rocked him back and forth. Loki was scared to share this information, but Thor would try his best to calm him._

_"Brother, please, it's the only way. I will have this bastard murdered for what he has done, if you can tell me. You do not have to be detailed, if you would prefer not." Thor cooed, stroking his hands through Loki's matted, ruined raven hair._

_Loki licked his pale, thin lips, his mouth parting in one shallow breath, before he spoke._

_"He's raping me...Svadilfari...Thor, please, please make it _stop_." he cried, "He doesn't stop. It hurts so much. I tell him no...he beats me, he threw poison in my eyes because I tried to...tried to get away. Please!" _

_Thor's rage grew intense even at the first word, and he pressed his lips gently onto Loki's forehead, wiping away his shivery teardrops._

_"I'm going to kill him, Loki. But first, I will clean you up." he reassured, pulling out healing salve he had kept in his tunic._

_Loki shook his head, weakly pushing him away._

_"He will realize my marks are gone. Don't. He's going to come back. He always does." Loki pleaded, shaking his head._

_That's when the stumbling occurred. Someone had come in, drunk._

_"Loki! Slut, come here right now!" someone growled, not too far away. Loki panicked, shoving Thor towards a window._

_"Open it, get out now!" he whispered, struggling to stand on weak feet._

_"I won't leave you here!" Thor argued, even though he knew it was useless._

_Loki shook his head, and pressed his lips painfully against Thor's. The golden son of Odin took a step back, startled, feeling aroused by Loki's sudden affectionate touch, before Loki stumbled towards the door._

_"Go now, there's nothing you can do." Loki whimpered back. Thor sighed, before climbing out the window. He peered in through the shadows, watching as Loki limped to the hallway, seeing Svadilfari ram him onto the ground, drunk and ready for another round._

_Thor turned away, disgusted. He would kill that sick bastard if it was the last thing he'd do. _

~.::.~

Odin sat upon his throne, both Frigga and Thor at his side as Svadilfari was at trial.

Thor had spoken to Frigga first, right after his plan was reenacted. She didn't say so to Odin, but she was not disappointed in Thor whatsoever. She instead, was furious and in grief to learn what horrible torture her younger son, her precious baby, had gone through.

"I would like my slave returned to me from Midgard," Svadilfari stated, eyes narrowing, "We had a deal, my King."

Odin thoughtfully raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, we had an agreement. You would show fair treatment to my son in the bond of marriage and lead him away from mischief and misdeeds. Instead, you chose...other methods."

"I am not sure what other methods you speak of. I chose to treat him as any master to his slave, I put him in his place." Svadilfari countered bitterly.

"You _blinded_, _maimed_, and _raped_ him! Stole him of his dignity, whatever fire he had of hope he burned out! The brother I saw in your so-called care was not of mine, but a mere, broken shadow!" Thor screeched.

Frigga tapped his shoulder to prevent him from flying right at Svadilfari and slamming his big, tan skull inward. He let out a huff, crossing his arms furiously.

Svadilfari had an amused smirk upon his face, brown eyes glittering with some sort of unrecognizable emotion.

"I did not rape him. He was begging for it. Begging for _me_, in the sheets. Perhaps it is jealousy speaking, Odinson?" he replied.

Thor's face burned red, eyes narrow, but before he could argue, Odin stepped in again.

"Enough, Svadilfari. Thor is correct, these are words Heimdall heard all the way from the Bifrost, spoken right from the lips of Loki. From this day henceforth, he is no longer your property. I shall send Thor to retrieve him from Midgard in a moon's time, and we shall properly divorce you from my son. You may leave now, unless you find a cell is much more formidable a place for the likes of you?" Odin growled.

Svadilfari sneered, his face twisting into one of utter disgust and rage.

"Again I say, we had a deal. This will not be the last you see of me. In a month's time, I shall return, and claim what is rightfully _mine_!" he roared, turning on his heels and walking arrogantly out of the throne room.

Thor's grip on Mjolnir had grown so tight with his words, that his hand began to throb from the ragged hold. He slowly eased out of it, looping the mighty hammer onto his belt loop, before letting out a frustrated sigh.

Frigga had already left, the pain of the truth behind what occurred to her youngest son a burden on her shoulders. Thor decided it would be best to comfort her. Without another word to Odin, whom Thor internally blamed for the treatment of Loki, he went out to find her.

She was in Loki's old bedchambers. He had discovered this quite quickly of which her whereabouts were.

The Queen sat upon her son's bed, gently holding the golden, horned helmet from which he once wore.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I know you would've rather I brought Loki to the palace, but he would still not have been safe in Asgard," Thor murmured, "Svadilfari would've killed him if I hadn't intervened."

Frigga nodded sadly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I know, my dear son, it is not your fault. I presume I wish I had known earlier, I would've had a good talking to your Father..." she trailed off, shaking her head mournfully and placing the helmet back upon its stand.

She rose from the bed, reaching an arm out to Thor, who interlocked it in his own.

"Walk with me?" she asked.

"Of course, Mother." was his simple reply.

~.::.~

The blinding flashes of the paparazzi blinded him. Tony fought through the crowd, ignoring their squawking and photography.

This spelled doom, for certain. If they had found him and Loki this easily, whose to say that SHIELD wasn't waiting for him back at the Towers? He swallowed hard. Bruce and Steve would try to cover for him, in the least.

A reporter blocked Tony, who had a firm grip on Loki's freezing cold hand. Tony let out a growl of frustration, trying to find a way to dodge the microphone being shoved in his face.

"Mr. Stark, who's your new date?" he asked. But Tony just shoved him aside, pulling past.

"None of your business!" he snapped over his shoulder.

"Tony..." Loki groaned. Tony opened the car door, gently helping Loki, pulling the seatbelt over him and clicking it shut.

He carefully closed the silver car door, before hopping into the driver's seat and zooming away, away from all the chaos.

"Tony, I'm not upset, if that's what you're wondering," Loki said after a few minutes of silence. Tony shrugged, his brown eyes lulling with exhaust and stress.

"It's okay, Lokes, you couldn't make me mad. It was a nice dinner, despite the entourage." Tony tried to reassure, though his mind was nagging at him. Nick Fury by now had no doubt discovered the photos.

He bit the inside of his lip, before Loki spoke again.

"Someone's coming to take me away, is that why you are so quiet?" Loki muttered.

"No one's gonna take you from us. I won't allow it, I doubt Steve or Bruce would allow it. Just relax, everything'll be fine in the end." Tony responded.

Though the last part was a lie. He was highly uncertain, that this would not turn out okay.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone. I am here to make an author's note, about a dilemma that is currently troubling me.**

**I had a reviewer today draw to my attention that the previous chapter suggested rape and abuse, and then proceeded to threaten to stop reading/reviewing my fic because I didn't "put a warning" for it in the chapter and that they were afraid "Odin would allow Loki to be raped and murdered by Svadilfari" or "Loki will be imprisoned by SHIELD." (Neither of which will happen at all from this point forward in the fic)**

**If you don't like my fanfiction, don't read it. It's rated ****_M for MATURE_**** for a reason. I ****_shouldn't_**** have to put a warning on every single chapter as Mortal Bond's summary ****_specifically states_**** that there will be ****_Abuse_****, ****_Mpreg_****, and ****_Blind!Loki_**** in this very fic. If you cannot handle mature themes as such, please do not leave hateful reviews accusing me of not placing adequate warnings as ****_I have clearly done so._**** I have labelled this fanfiction in the M rating for a very specific reason. Prince of Jotunheim and Save Me From Myself, my other two MCU fanfictions, are rated T because they are not as graphic or explicit. Mortal Bonds is going to be graphic (or at least was, I think there won't be any more extreme abuse or rape in the fanfic. It was only in flashbacks.) Sorry to burst your bubble there. **

**So please, ****_read_**** the rating and the summary and take note of the warning I have placed within the summary next time. There is a phrase called 'read at your own risk.' **

**On a side note, I welcome back one of my longest, most faithful followers, The Newbie Phan. Yay! You're back! :-) I was wondering when you'd pop on in and review! ^.^**

**-PhantomLilac**

~.::.~

The elevator door opened calmly, the whole place was dark. Tony swallowed, tugging gently on Loki's hand.

"Anthony?" Loki breathed, shaking nervously. Everything was quiet, too quiet.

Tony wrapped an arm over Loki's shoulders, breathing shallowly as if not to disturb the unusual silence.

"It's fine, Lokes. Probably a power-outage," Tony tried to break the fright in the god, but it wasn't working.

"I thought the Towers were self-sustainable," Loki reminded him.

Tony took one step forward, and then the lights all came on.

_BANG!_

Tony had swerved, yanking both him and Loki out of the way by mere seconds as the bullet lodged in the wall behind him.

He shoved Loki to the ground, standing over him as he yelled at JARVIS to activate his suit.

"What the fuck are you doing, Stark!?" a familiar voice screeched.

He looked up, right into the face of Nick Fury, who was standing, pistol aimed right at Tony, who was shielding the trembling Loki at his feet.

Fury raised an eyebrow, his one good eye gleaming with a hint of disgust. He was not on any friendly terms with Tony Stark, and definitely not with Loki.

"Protecting a refugee, saving his life, how about you?" Tony sarcastically replied, narrowing his eyes.

Fury lowered the gun, placing it back in his holster, but kept a hand on it just in case.

"Shouldn't he be in Asgard? Explain that to me." he growled, raising his one good eye shiftily.

Tony shrugged, crossing his arms. Loki clung like a weak, frightened animal to Tony's arm. Tony couldn't help but feel awkward with Loki's desperate cling, but for the sake of his frightened paranoia, Tony let it slide.

"Thor sent me. The reason why, I do not know." Loki admitted. He trembled when he heard Nick Fury take a step forward.

"Well, give me one reason as to why I shouldn't lock you up in prison right now for trying to goddamn destroy all of New York!" Nick continued warningly, his hand sliding to rest on the holster of the gun.

"Ever seen a blind god before? Yeah. Well that's not the only impairment he arrived with. You can ask Bruce and Steve, he was sugarcoated in slice n' dices here and there," Tony argued, narrowing his eyes.

"Mind elaborating a bit more, Stark?" Fury queried, his eyebrows shifting in suspicion.

~.::.~

Loki swallowed hard when Fury was finally gone.

He was alive. In a comfortable home. Not in a cell.

Heavily, Loki sighed, letting himself let go of Tony. Albeit confusion was hitting him.

"You defended me?" Loki asked.

He heard some sort of chuckle from Tony, who patted Loki's shoulder.

"I dunno. I tolerate you more than Steve, so that's a bonus." Tony joked.

Loki couldn't help but grin.

"Oh, so I see. And now I bid you goodnight, Anthony."

Tony cleared his throat.

"Why'd you start calling me that? You can just call me Tony, y'know." he responded.

Loki shrugged.

"I like Anthony better. Thank you for a lovely dinner. Now, goodnight."

~.::.~

Tony stood, dumbfounded, watching as Loki used JARVIS to guide him back to his bedroom and vanish back inside.

He licked his lips, a cocky grin appearing on his face.

Oh, he very much so liked Loki's sudden, gentle behavior.

He wanted to discover the god's soft side more. And he knew just how.

Perhaps it was all because, Loki had discovered Tony's own soft side.

"Anthony," Loki's pronunciation of Tony's name rolled around in his mind, lying limply on his tongue as he swallowed down the fluttering sensation in his stomach.

'What was this weird feeling?' Tony internally wondered.

'Love.' it unconsciously answered.


	9. Chapter 9

It was another two weeks before Loki decided to show his face again. He had hidden away, embarrassed and frightened by Nick Fury. Tony felt a bit of anger at Nick-he had really liked the direction their relationship had been turning. But he didn't chase after Loki. It comforted the god, to have some time to himself. And Tony would give him all the time he needed.

In fact, it hadn't been long for Loki to decide to make another appearance...

Correction. Until JARVIS sounded the alarms to the floors of Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Bruce Banner, jolting them awake.

"What? What now? JARVIS?" Tony groaned, waking up from a terrible hangover. He had gone a bit overboard drinking with Steve last night-he had vowed to outdrink him without passing out or hurling. Steve had laughed and accepted his challenge.

Tony stubbornly obliged. By the time he had both thrown up and gone cold on the couch, in a brief second before subconsciousness hit him, he remembered: Steve couldn't get drunk.

"Mr. Laufeyson is injured in his bedchambers, sir."

It didn't take him too long to register JARVIS' words before he leapt out of bed, stumbling for a moment from the exhaustion from the night before, but no doubt worried for Loki. He had to make sure that his almost-boyfriend (Tony says almost, though Loki was clearly very attracted to him) was still awake.

He rushed to the bedroom, ordering JARVIS to unlock it. The door clicked, the lock jarring off that Loki had previously set. Tony swung it open, spotting someone lying slightly limp, panting near the entrance to the bathroom.

Loki's blind eyes were maddened, wide and bloodshot, his face beaded with sweat as he was slumped against the wall.

His boney, pale hands clutched his stomach painfully, and Tony could the blood stained in between his green sweatpants.

"Loki! Loki are you alright!?" Tony yelped, bending down beside the Aesir and gently touching his forehead.

"DON'T TOUCH ME, SVADILFARI!" Loki screamed suddenly, his hands wrapping tightly around Tony's wrist and threatening to break it. Tony jerked away, confusion hitting him as he freed himself from Loki's ragged, sharp grip.

"Lokes, it's me, Anthony, y'know, we went on a date? I don't know who...Svadsilfairy is or whatever. Can you hear me?" Tony urged. Loki writhed away from his touch, tears streaming from his eyes and his body convulsed again.

"It hurts...it hurts!" he wailed uselessly, the back of his head hitting the wall in a way that looked extremely painful.

Thankfully, it only took a few more seconds before both Bruce and Steve were upon them.

Bruce reached forward, gesturing for Steve to help him lift Loki up to the bed. Not a word was exchanged between any of the three Avengers members.

Loki was lain onto the bed, Bruce gently restraining his hands from his stomach so he could examine the spot he was so desperately clutching.

"Steve, Tony, I'll be out in a moment, just going to see where the source of the blood is. I'll get you guys right when I'm done here and he's calmed down, okay?"

~.::.~

Tony paced outside the door like a madman, his heart throbbing in his chest. He wasn't so sure what was going on, or what was wrong, but each whimper he heard escape Loki's lips from inside the sealed door was tearing the man apart from the inside out.

Bruce finally stepped out after what seemed like forever, looking a little distressed and exhausted.

"Well!?" Tony snapped, face warped into one of anxiety and impatience.

"He's pregnant." Bruce said, as if disbelieving himself. Tony swallowed, eyes popping at this starting news.

Loki was pregnant? How was that even physically possible? Tony's face fell. It wasn't his. It was whatever bastard left him so injured the night he arrived to the towers.

"How far along?" Steve asked, after Tony fell sickeningly silent, his whole body trembling from shock.

"Well, the bump was only slightly raised. I asked Loki about it, he predicts eight months." Bruce answered.

"Eight!? Eight months...Bruce, how can he...is it physically deformed or something because for someone eight months along..."

"He's been malnourished for a long time," Bruce darkly said, lowering his gaze onto Tony with...what was that? A flicker of empathy?

"The baby is not harmed. Loki slipped and fell in an awkward position. It's just...dwarfed. From the lack of nutrients." Bruce further explained.

Tony frowned, biting his lower lip.

"Can I talk to him?" he asked.

Bruce stepped aside, and allowed Tony into the room.

~.::.~

Loki felt so dizzy, resting his head against the pillow.

He was pregnant. He was carrying this baby.

A bastard child. It all made sense now. He had stood to use the bathroom, feeling sick to his stomach. Over the past month, he had thought the bump had risen from all the fine Midgardian junk food he had devoured. Now he knew that was only cravings.

He had slipped, and fell in an awkward position. An awkward position that sent his mind reeling. He had been like this before. He had hurt like this before, hurt even worse than this before.

Svadilfari.

The name burned on his tongue. He hated that name, so fucking much. But he remembered now. It all made sense now.

Svadilfari. He'd done this to him. There was no other possible candidate for the father of his ever-growing child.

Pinning, beating...being used...for something as loathsome as pleasure. Loki had no idea what 'pleasure' even meant anymore. Everyone just brought him pain.

He heard Tony's soft breathing as the man sat in the chair previously occupied by Bruce Banner whilst he had examined the pained Aesir. Tony intertwined his hand into Loki's a bit supportively...

Loki winced away. He couldn't feel the affections he felt for Tony. Two weeks he had been in here, feeling guilty with the whole fact they had let alone went on a date. They hadn't even kissed and he felt he was doing something utterly wrong.

And now he knew why.

It was because he was married to a monster.

He was married to that rapist asshole, Svadilfari.

"Tony...don't..." he weakly protested. Tony pressed a finger to his lips, moving to caress his hair.

"It's all good, Lokes. Just go back to sleep, I'll be right here." Tony reassured.

Loki licked his feverish lips, shaking his head and resting a hand on his own stomach, feeling the odd squirming sensation in his stomach again.

"It's not yours." Loki stammered. Tony sighed.

_"I know."_

"Are you angry with me?"

"_No_."

"Why?" Loki's last question was breathlessly worded, coming out more loud and anguished than he intended.

Tony shrugged, sucking in a deep breath before responding.

"Because I know this wasn't your fault. Somebody forced this on you-"

"I'm married to that somebody, Tony," Loki wailed, cutting him off, "When I...I slipped and fell, I got it back. All of it back. Gods be damned, I threw you out a window."

Tony couldn't help but chuckle, making Loki's exhausted cheeks burn.

"I do not find it something to laugh about." he snarled.

"Oh, I was laughing about the window. Don't worry, that doesn't tick me off. But I swear to god, I'm going to _kill_ the somebody who made you do this. Everything's gonna be okay, Lokes. Just go to sleep."

He gently traced Loki's hairline with his fingertips, before sweeping the bangs away from his sickeningly pale, thin posture.

When he was certain Loki was asleep, Tony Stark did something very peculiar.

He kissed Loki's forehead, before leaning back in his seat, and falling asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Loki woke up, once again drenched in his eternal darkness. But this time it was different. Everything ached after his plight the day before, and the child wouldn't. Stop. Kicking.

He groaned, shifting to sit up, only to feel a hand rest on his back, another one moving to prop up his pillows for him. Loki scowled. He hated feeling useless, but what else could he do?

Loki shifted, resting his hands gently on that very small baby bump. What had Bruce said? It was dwarfed? He gritted his teeth. His child-son or daughter, was...malnourished.

And it was all because of Svadilfari. He had barely fed Loki, let alone allow him fresh water. Sure, gods didn't need as much food as a mortal, but even for an Aesir, it was the most minuscule amounts of food ever. Practically crumbs. Maybe even once a week. It was dear agony.

But even so, Loki felt like he was the failure. He wasn't good enough. He never had been. He wasn't good enough for Odin, he wasn't good enough for Thor...not even good enough for Svadilfari, the husband that Odin "oh so kindly" bound him to.

"Morning, Lokes. Sleep well?" Tony cheerily asked. Loki blinked, as if to try to capture Tony's expression, but alas, no light came through.

"If you consider being plagued by memories of the past well, then yes, I am absolutely peachy." Loki sarcastically mumbled.

Memories of the past weren't even about Svadilfari the night before, at least not directly. Loki could remember, being in pain, and then...suddenly Thor was there, cradling him, promising him, just as Tony had done, that everything would be okay.

Loki had kissed Thor. He hadn't even kissed Tony yet, but he'd promised Thor they could be together. But now Loki had no idea what to do. He didn't want to return to Asgard ever again, because then, Svadilfari could abduct him and keep him away from Tony and Thor and maybe even the child in his womb right now. He'd be shut away in that little log cottage and he'd never see daylight again.

The very thought of being imprisoned made him shudder violently, and he bit down hard on his lip until he could taste the bitter, iron taste of his own scarlet blood dribbling into his mouth.

"Lokes? Loki, don't do that..." Tony sighed, taking a napkin and dabbing it to Loki's lip, drawing away some of the seeping wound.

"Anthony?" Loki whispered shakily.

"Yes?" Tony replied, gently caressing his hands through that silky raven hair.

"I don't want to go back to Asgard. I don't want to see my husband." Loki said in a small, childlike voice. He hadn't tried to make it whiny, but at this point, his mind was so confused he couldn't even expand his vocabulary. He certainly felt like a scared, lost child amidst a crowd of strangers, except the crowd was that inside his mind, of flooding memories he had not necessarily wanted back.

"You don't have to. He won't take you away. The Avengers are on your side, I even talked to Clint and Nat, and after some...ah...negotiations, they will protect you and the child if he shows his face around here." Tony reassured.

"Anthony, why are you doing this for me? I've killed people. And yes, we went on a date, but is that even love? What even is love? I don't even know anymore..." Loki wailed.

Tony smirked, brushing his lips gently onto Loki's hand and bestowing a kiss upon his knuckles. Loki flinched, an unusual warmth hitting his cheeks, as the kisses trailed onto his wrist before he pulled away.

"I like you, Lokes. I like you a lot. I'm pretty sure I love you too, but I don't want to pressure you into anything. But y'know...when the kid's born and stuff, you don't have to go with it to Asgard, you both can stay here in the Towers and be safe."

Loki hesitated, his brow furrowing in a bit of confusion and grief.

"I will have to go back, Anthony. Svadilfari _will_ find me. He's going to take me away, he's going to...to..." he started hyperventilating between each word, his eyes widening and head lulling back. Tony gently placed his hand overtop of the one Loki had rested over his stomach.

"I already don't like this _Svadsilfairy_ guy, okay...he touches you, I will kill him, is that clear? If he looks at you, goes near you, I promise you, I will make him beg at your feet for mercy." Tony's words grew dark and furious.

Loki, even though he was blind, had his head facing Tony. He turned away now, gritting his teeth so hard he thought they would shatter, but they wouldn't.

"I'll be right back, that okay Lokes?"

Loki didn't reply, and Tony stepped out for a moment. It took him a few minutes before he returned, a warm, appetizing smell hitting the air. Loki didn't move at all. He liked the scent, but he wasn't hungry.

"Steve made pancakes. You love his pancakes. Here."

He gently held out a bite from the fork to Loki's mouth, who recoiled away.

"I'm not hungry." Loki spat. Tony sighed.

"Alright, but not eating, whether it was forced or not, is exactly why the kiddo's so small. Cmon Lokes, _it needs_ some food."

Loki didn't argue this time, taking the fork from Tony and shoving the bite into his mouth.


	11. Chapter 11

The rain outside began to crackle outside Loki's window as he sat up on his recliner, trying not to fall asleep as Tony babbled on about how the baby would love science, and learn magic, and whatever.

"Lokes, you even listening?" Tony interrupted, though it wasn't meant to sound rude, rather more bubbly.

Loki shrugged.

"I am listening, Anthony. Child...magic...science...right?" Loki responded, blinking a few times as his sightless eyes felt dry and achy.

"You missed the whole part where his name is Tony Jr.!"

Loki huffed, slapping Tony's shoulder in a tease.

"I will not give the child a Midgardian name, let alone that one. We do not even know if it is male yet or not." Loki growled.

Tony pouted, placing his hands on Loki's belly, who was in a bit of discomfort as the creature within him twitched and stirred.

"It's gonna be a boy, girls aren't strong enough to cause all the disturbance this little guy is." Tony testified. Loki rolled his emerald green eyes, interlacing his own hands with Tony's.

"In Asgard, my brother has a friend by the name of Lady Sif. If she had heard your very words, she would've probably kicked your ass." Loki mused.

A cocky, cheeky grin crept onto Tony's face, and he moved until he was only but an inch away from Loki's pale face.

"Since she isn't here, would you rather kiss me?"

Loki's bottom lip puckered.

"Married, remember?"

"Won't be for long," Tony mumbled, locking his lips onto Loki's. This time, even after the countless times he had tried to convince Loki of their obvious affections, Loki did not draw away, or ignore Tony's romantic advances.

Before Tony could kiss him again, even as they pulled away breathlessly, the dark sky outside let out a hiss, and a boom of thunder. A bright, searing yellow streak of electricity bolted through the air, and Loki stiffened.

"Aww, why'd you stop?" Tony protested. Loki shuffled, trying to stand up, but Tony gently pushed him back down.

"Thunder...there was no thunder before, didn't JARVIS say it would not be a thunderstorm tonight?" Loki objected, trying once again to stand.

Then it hit Tony. Thor, god of Thunder. It was possible he was here, he was coming to return Loki to Asgard.

"Loki, stay here. I will work things out, okay? I'll talk to your brother." Tony stumbled over his words.

Loki's face twisted into one of grief and a bit of anger, but he stayed put, rubbing his stomach as if to soothe him. Tony pressed a second kiss onto his cheek, affectionately ruffling his hair.

"Good. I've told you already, everything's gonna be a-Okay!" Tony said, trying to sound cheery, but with the grim, frightened look that had crossed Loki's face made Tony cringe on the inside.

He stepped out of the bedroom, looking once over his shoulder to see that Loki hadn't moved. Thankfully, he hadn't budged an inch, humming to himself some sort of old Aesir tune.

Tony walked out of the room, looking up at the ceiling and pausing for a moment.

Tony sighed, walking out towards the balcony, where just as he predicted, stood Thor, out in the rain, looking out and away from the Towers.

He parted the glass entrance, slipping out into the sopping rain.

"Hey Point Break, you know you can come in right? It's Avengers Towers, not just Stark Towers anymore?" Tony said, shuddering a bit at the cold.

Thor turned to face him, and he could see the pain in his azure eyes, which were brilliantly blended against the matted mess of his golden-blonde hair.

"Where is Loki? I must see my brother right away!" Thor desperately pleaded, towering above Tony. The brunette billionaire narrowed his eyes.

"Loki is fine. But we need to talk, just you and me, before you get to see him."

Tony crossed his arms, leading Thor back into the house, where they faced each other coolly, an air of tension increasing as they stared at each other.

Thor stopped for a moment, wiping the hair that had been slackened overtop his eyes off of his tanned face, licking his lips to wet them, ready to speak.

"Man of Red Iron, I do need to speak to my brother. It is absolutely urgent. He is not safe here, in Midgard." Thor spoke.

"And why not? He seems perfectly safe here." Tony argued, narrowing his eyes.

"Svadilfari of Vanaheim is loose in Midgard. He broke free of confinement only hours ago. I must take Loki to Asgard immediately so that he is under the protection of the Allfather. And my own." Thor growled.

Tony's face twisted into one of rage, his hands clenching into fists.

"First off-if Svadsilfairy slipped from your 'Allfather' so easily, then whose to say Loki would be safe in Asgard? If Fairy dude can escape imprisonment, he can just as easily slip away and take him. I say we protect him here, set up a trap for this bastard and kill him before he gets close to Lokes!" Tony pointed out.

"What does it matter to you, Man of Red Iron? I promised Loki I would return and protect him. This month I've been apart from him, has been the most painful in my life!" Thor snapped. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Well, hate to tell you that when you dropped him here, he lost his memory. In fact, he only got it back three days ago, and it tortures him so much to remember what...Svadsil...you know what, I'm not even gonna try to pronounce his name, I'm just gonna call him Fairy Boy. You could've left us a note, something, so that when he came here as blank as a clean sheet of paper that we had some sort of idea what happened to him!" Tony snarled.

Thor gripped his throat, not hard enough to kill Tony, but enough that it was hard to breathe. Tony's hazel eyes widened, staring back up at Thor in sudden fear.

"I love my Loki, you mortal imbecile. I did not want this punishment for him, I had begged the Allfather to give him to me instead, so that I may help him. When I found him, barely alive in that rotting log cottage, he begged me to let him die. I couldn't just take him back to the court and have the Allfather turn him back over to his master, I had to send him here. How was I to know his wounds would impair his memory, even if temporarily?" Thor hissed.

Tony swallowed hard, narrowing his eyes and defiantly taking a step back as soon as Thor released him. He clenched his hands into fists.

"I will not let you take him away from me. He is safe, and happy here. You have no idea what he's gone through in your absence."

"Oh? What do you mean, Man of Red-"

"Just call me Tony, 'kay? The 'Man of Red Iron' thing is just lame. Loki is carrying that asshole's kid, so before you barge in on him with all your yelling and screaming, consider what's probably better for him!" Tony snarled defensively.

A bit of jealousy and rage flickered in Thor's gaze.

"You are certainly no good for him, Anthony Stark!" Thor shrieked.

He shoved Tony to the ground in his fit of pure anger, raising Mjolnir to strike him, when suddenly...

Thor was stopped by someone clinging onto his wrist, keeping him from swinging the hammer into the fallen man on the ground.

Piercing emerald orbs, glittering with a milky-eyed film, were locked onto him, tears glistening and streaming down pale, high-raised cheekbones.

"Stop it, put Mjolnir down," the voice pleaded, sounding raw and painful.

"Brother!" Thor murmured, as if to object, but he lowered the weapon that had long since been forged from a dying star, "Forgive me, I was just in a bit of a disagreement..."

"Over me, right?" Loki spat, turning his back on Thor and reaching a hand out to help Tony up. Tony trembled, a bit shocked, before he brushed off his initial fright and sent a warning glare Thor's way.

"Oh, a bit, huh? If Lokes hadn't intervened my skull would'a been split!" Tony snarled.

Thor huffed in irritation.

"Stop trying to play a hero, Anthony. You are not one. Loki belongs home, with me, not kept locked in his bedroom like a prisoner. You probably keep him there, alone for hours, until you desire his pleasure, do you not?" Thor hissed, snapping right back into his stubborn hostility.

Loki's face turned back into one of offense.

"Both of you, enough! How dare you...how dare you both...act as if I am a prize to be won. I will choose who I want myself, I will not let the choice be made for me." He cried, shaking his head and stumbling towards the balcony.

"Lokes-" Tony began desperately, racing to stop Loki as soon as he saw the green glow faintly surround the god.

Thor's eyes widened, and he jerked his way past Tony.

"Loki, Loki don't!" he yelled, but it was too late. In a bright green flash, Loki had vanished into nothingness.

The two were left, standing there, stunned.

"Well," Tony cleared his throat,_ "shit."_


	12. Chapter 12

Loki groaned, stumbling about until his shoulder collided with a tree. His hair was slicked back by the ran, his clothes soaked into a chilly temperature up to his body.

He slid slowly against the bark, as if not to injure himself, until he was sitting down the most comfortably he could get. He hadn't intended to teleport...to wherever he was. He had meant for it just to be right outside the Towers.

He wrapped his arms around his stomach. The child could be due any day now, any moment. He prayed it wouldn't suddenly happen now, so far away from Tony and Thor. But he couldn't bear to see them fight over him. It hurt him, so much...had they not even recognized him for who he was and what he wanted?

His throat burned as he parted his lips and let out a weak cry.

"Anthony!" he called into the nothingness. At this point, he wouldn't even care if Nick Fury came upon him and took him at least to shelter, as much as he hated the stubborn, wretched man.

Loki sighed, rubbing the slightly raised bump a bit more carefully now.

So small, so fragile. He wondered if he had been like that, in the Allfather's eyes. He had also been a runt. The smallest of the Frost Giants. Tiny, weak, fragile...

Useless.

He gritted his teeth, with the back of his hand wiping his tears away. He felt so useless...he had tried so hard to get the Allfather's acceptance and love but it would never be given to him. Odin had turned him over to Svadilfari in hopes the man, who had deceived his way into making the King believe that perhaps he did truly love Loki, would make up for the lost affections, only to reveal his true nature when at last they were alone.

Loki heard crackling of footsteps in the woods surrounding him. He jerked, trying to locate the source of his sound.

"Anthony?" he whispered again, a bit fearfully when the noise stopped.

Then suddenly, his hair was yanked, and he was thrust up out of his sitting position. Loki clutched weakly at this stranger who had his hair in a strong grip.

"Anthony? Who might that be, my precious slut?" a sickeningly familiar voice snickered.

~.::.~

JARVIS had located Loki in a nearby park.

The only problem was, that the forest beyond it was so thick, so dense, how the hell were they supposed to find Loki before Svadilfari did?

"Damn it Lokes," Tony swore under his breath, "why'd you have to choose the forest of all places?"

Thor shrugged tiredly.

"Anthony, if we dawdle, we will be too late!" Thor warned.

The sound of a nearby shriek alerted them.

"Follow that sound! JARVIS locate the source for me!" Tony hissed.

He wasn't in his full suit. He had his repulser gloves on, and his jet-powered boots, but he hadn't worn the whole outfit...he didn't have time to wear such heavy metal and no doubt tromp around trees for hours in it.

He just prayed the sound wasn't Loki's anguished screams, and that Thor's omen was not true.

~.::.~

Loki shrieked, twisting and struggling against the hand that was now clamped around his throat. It wasn't hard enough to render him unable to breath, but it was so, so very strong, and he couldn't get the limb off of him.

"Please! Please, let me go!" Loki begged, tears streaming down his face. He felt himself pressed a bit firmly against the bark. His thin fingers wrapped around Svadilfari's wrist, trying desperately to free himself from the tight grasp.

"I don't think so. Did I not make it clear? You are mine, and you will behave as such." he growled. Loki swallowed hard as silence befell him, before feeling those rough, scarred lips press against his own.

He would not budge his pale, thin lips. He clamped them shut, not allowing Svadilfari to breach. The man growled, using his other hand to yank once again on Loki's hair, making him gasp out for breath, before he once again forced a kiss on his lips and into the gagged open mouth.

Loki's eyes rolled to the back of his head from shock, before seconds later he regained his senses. This brute was fiercely kissing him, and if he didn't think fast, much more than that would occur soon.

He coaxed Svadilfari's bottom lip closer...before nipping his teeth against the flesh hard. Svadilfari yelped, drawing away.

"Why, you little bitch!" Svadilfari screamed. Loki didn't get a chance to think before the back of the man's hand collided with his jaw, sending him crumpling to the ground. Loki clutched his stomach, his blind eyes widened with fear as he tried to protect the child inside him from getting hurt.

Svadilfari knelt down before him, quite enjoying the way Loki was sprawled, slightly straddled on the ground.

"Oh? What's this?" he purred, noticing the slightly swollen bump of his spouse's stomach. Loki shrieked, his hands moving to claw at him.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH IT, LEAVE ME ALONE!" he howled, but Svadilfari was much faster. In one hand, he gripped both of Loki's wrists, pinning them above his head into the sharp bark.

Loki started sobbing uncontrollably, both in pain from the bark and fear of what his husband would do to him. The bigger Aesir grasped the hem of Loki's tunic, pulling it up to bask in that swollen complexion.

"Have you been keeping this from me? You didn't tell me you were so far along with our child."

Loki shuddered at Svadilfari's words. 'Our child.' It was sickening. He wanted to throw up, that horrible reminder hitting his mind that yes, Svadilfari was the father of the innocent unborn life inside of him.

Svadilfari rested his free hand on the stomach, feeling the very tiny, dwarfed child kicking and stirring inside of the Aesir.

"Why, as soon as I take you to my home in Vanaheim, I'll have you mindwiped again and raising more than just this. I will need an army of powerful heirs if I will be the King of Asgard," Svadilfari said with a chuckle.

Loki spat in his face, to which Svadilfari released him, yanking him back up from the ground furiously and then throwing him to the ground.

Loki screamed, feeling the pain in his torso, the wetness leaking out from in between his legs.

'Not now! Not now! Fucking Svadilfari!' he thought bitterly, clutching his stomach painfully as the induced contractions began. His water had broken upon impact again with the ground.

Svadilfari only laughed, leaning over the pained god with a snicker.

"Why, I'll just sit here and watch the show. I won't even bother to help you, how about that?" he cooed, wiping Loki's sobbing tears away with his thumb. Loki trembled, his body wracking with screams of pain and anguish.

That was when he felt the blast of something whir past him, smacking into Svadilfari and knocking him several yards away. When he didn't make another noise, Loki knew that the man had once again been knocked unconscious.

"Loki!" Tony cried, kneeling beside him and cradling his head.

"Anthony...Anthony I need Bruce right now." Loki whimpered, his head slumping back again, his mouth opening in a silent scream that never came. Tony could see how Loki clutched his stomach, that Svadilfari had done this.

"Damn it," Tony snarled, then turned to Thor, "this isn't right at all, damn the bastard for doing this to you."

"Can you carry him carefully? I'll phone up Bruce right away." Tony said, stumbling over his own words.

He would kill the asshole who did this, he would kill him. But he couldn't do it now, he had to help Loki get to help.

~.::.~

Tony sat outside the door, only seconds after Bruce had ushered to Loki's assistance.

With a sigh, Tony picked up his phone.

"Hey Pepp? Remember when I called you a couple of days ago talking about a favor? Yeah, well Fairy-Guy showed up. So I need you to come over and do this for me..."


	13. Chapter 13

Tony waited for Pepper to arrive first, before he would go in and be beside Loki.

"You know the plan, right? Explain it to Thor for me, before he tries to smash my skull in a second time." Tony muttered. Thor's face grew red for a split second, before he nodded off to Tony.

Tony vanished into the bedroom where Loki was thrashing, crying, whining, clawing at the bedsheets tucked around him because he was just in so much pain.

Tony wasn't even sure he heard him enter, before he knelt at Loki's bedside and squeezed his hand tightly. Tony sighed in relief when Loki's fingers latched back into his own, squeezing hard enough that it could break his hand. Tony didn't care at this point if Loki would break his hand, he just wanted to make sure both he and the baby made it out safely.

"How's he doing, Bruce?" Tony asked, a bit of concern in his tone.

Bruce adjusted his glasses.

"The readings say that he's almost done, maybe ten more minutes to go?" Bruce replied.

"Good, good." Tony responded, turning back to brush the locks of hair from Loki's eyes. Loki let out another hiss, not at Tony, but at the extraordinary amounts of pain he was going through.

"You're doing fantastic, Lokes. Concentrate...breath in, breath out." Tony attempted to reassure, but wasn't sure if Loki was paying attention, his milky green eyes blown wide and wild, tears streaming down the sides of his cheeks.

~.::.~

Thor paced anxiously back and forth from outside the bedroom. He knew of Ms. Potts' plan, and he had agreed that she was here for the best. She tapped his shoulder, a smile passing her face.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. Loki has Tony and Bruce, they're both going to make sure that the baby is safe." she stated. Thor sighed, stopping his pacing and letting his shoulders slump.

"I am afraid, Lady Potts, that Loki will not oblige to our plan very well. He will be very upset." Thor admitted.

"I promise you, it is for both his protection, and the baby's. Tony and I agreed to this a couple days ago. It will only be for a little while, until everything's resolved with..." she trailed off, not sure of the name she was seeking.

"Svadilfari." Thor answered for her. She nodded.

"Yes, that guy. You'll see, it'll be fine."

Bruce finally stepped out, a relieved look on his face.

"Both of them survived." Bruce breathed tiredly. Thor didn't even respond, pushing past Bruce into the small bedroom.

Inside, Tony sat upon the bed beside Loki, an arm around his shoulders to keep Loki sitting upright. The Aesir looked utterly exhausted, his eyes halfway lulled, as he gently held a small bundle in his arms.

Small, as in, very small. Bruce had said that the child would be dwarfed at birth, he wasn't joking. For an Aesir child, it was no more bigger than both of Loki's boney, long hands, tucked carefully against his chest.

"Sleipnir," Loki murmured sleepily, his rocking slowing. He smiled briefly for a moment, his gazed fixed upon the newborn child.

"He looks just like you," Thor noted. Loki tiredly nodded, his gaze faltering. It didn't take long for Thor to register what was about to happen.

He saw the baby beginning to slip. He lurched forward, as gently as possible taking it from Loki's arms, before the man completely went out, going limp against Tony's grip. The man's eyes widened, as he shook Loki gently, trying to rouse him from his trancelike state.

"Damn it, get Bruce back in here! He's going into shock!" Tony snarled.

Albeit hesitantly, Thor hustled out of the room, getting Bruce's attention. The man looked up from a conversation, raising an eyebrow.

"My brother is in shock." Thor explained. It didn't take Bruce a second longer to hurry back into the room.

Thor quietly walked over to Pepper again, holding the newly named 'Sleipnir' in his strong arms, before gently passing it to her.

"It's a boy. His name is Sleipnir," Thor murmured. Pepper nodded, gently rocking the child back and forth.

"He's adorable," Pepper cooed, before looking back up to Thor.

"It's alright. I have agreed to Tony's plan. We will inform Loki-if he awakens-of what occurred."

Pepper nodded, gently standing with the baby in her arms. Not another word was exchanged as she walked towards the elevator, Sleipnir in her arms.

'It's for the safety of the child, until Svadilfari is out of the picture. Then we can reunite Sleipnir with Loki. It's for the safety of Sleipnir,' Thor had to remind himself bitterly. He trusted Ms. Potts to take care of the child, he was more worried of how Loki would reply, knowing the child he cared deeply for was taken from him moments after birth.

~.::.~

Tony didn't leave Loki's bedside, even after the surgery was done. He sat there, not daring to lie beside him and disturb his slumber. Instead, he stroked Loki's hair, ever so gently, with his fingertips.

He would live. So would Sleipnir. Pepper had Sleipnir, going far away, somewhere safe. She had taken a private jet, gotten out of the country. She would arrive in London in a few hours, JARVIS had informed him.

Tony knew Loki would be gravely upset when he awoke and realized what Tony had done, in secrecy. He had kept it from Loki on purpose. He wouldn't even tell him where she was going, or who he left Sleipnir with, because if Svadilfari did end up taking Loki again...he didn't want that information to spill.

No, he couldn't think like that. Loki _wouldn't_ be taken from him. This time he would be prepared to protect him, protect Sleipnir.

_"Our son," _Tony murmured. His and Loki's. Not even Svadilfari's. Sleipnir was _his_, whether biologically or not; he loved the innocent baby, and he would spend every last breath to save him from the monster who sired him.


	14. Chapter 14

Loki let out a soft moan, shifting upwards despite the pain in his hips.

He moved his hands to rub the sleep from his eyes, licking his lips to wet them.

Everything ached and throbbed horribly. Loki gently massaged his eyelids, which were dry and cracked from the tears shed the night before. His head felt like it had a heartbeat-very sore from where Svadilfari had tugged it. He had felt this way before...well, almost.

He blinked as he pulled his hands away, before narrowing his eyes.

Wait, was he dreaming? Everything was bright and colorful, not at all the thick blackness he had grown accustomed to. He held up his hands to his face once more. They were so fragile, pale, and thin. Loki scowled, flipping them back and forth, patting his face, his hips, his stomach.

His head reeled from side to side, engulfed in this odd thing called...vision. He had longed for it for a unbearable length of time. His eyes flickered about, for the first time immersed in seeing the room with his own sight.

The bed had light green bedsheets, mostly torn up. He had probably done that yesterday. Whoops. He was wearing one of Tony's band shirts, which hung on his frame nicely. It must've been too big for Tony, so he had placed it on Loki, hoping he wouldn't notice a difference. It was okay.

Curtains were drawn back, in a shade of vibrant turquoise, and his favorite recliner, was bright red.

His mind swam through these colors, processing the fact that he was not at all dreaming,

He could truly see again. He let out a sigh of relief, sitting up straight and moving his hands to his stomach. It was no longer sticking out slightly awkwardly with a slightly raised bulge. It was flat, skinny, smooth. His fingers traced the nonexistent outline of which his child had once been inside of him.

'Sleipnir,' he thought immediately. He had held the tiny child in his arms, only once, before the fizzling exhaustion and pain had swept over him. He wanted to see his son.

But then hurt clenched around his hearr, the horrible memory of how his child came to be.

'Curse Svadilfari, curse him. Curse me for being a Jotun.'

He would kill the bastard who forced him into months of pain and agony. Who had made him carry this seed, this child, and then threw him so hard on the ground the baby starting nearly ripping him apart in an attempt to get out. Loki had screamed, and cried, and was wrought through so much anguish.

'Sleipnir would not even be alive if I did not have a fertile Jotun body,' Loki reminded himself bitterly, but found that he could not stay angry with the innocent child. It wasn't Sleipnir's fault. It was Svadilfari's.

"Morning, Lokes!" a cheery voice alerted him, as he walked into the door.

Loki gaped. It was the first time he had visibly seen Tony since the attack on New York more than a year before.

He didn't look very much different. He looked a bit more muscular, more mature, more happy. Loki felt the tears begin to drip, his face turning hot. He could finally see the one he loved, the man he'd spent this hellish month with.

Tony stopped smiling, this look of concern crossing his face as he rushed to Loki's bedside, cupping his cheek.

"Aww Lokes, what's wrong? Don't cry, please?" Tony murmured, wiping his tears away with his thumb.

Loki grinned suddenly, tears still falling from his eyes, as this painful laugh escaped his lips.

"I can _see_ you," Loki exclaimed between sniffles.

Tony's eyes grew wide.

"Wait, like, with your _eyes?"_

Loki nodded, and that was all it took for Tony to bend in and lock their lips together in a passionate kiss.

When at last they pulled away, Tony kept his gentle cupping of Loki's jaw, a big, cocky smile on his face.

"That's wonderful! Absolutely fantastic, babe!" he squealed.

Loki retained a pleasant expression, his eyes brightening as he asked his next question.

"Can I see Sleipnir?"

Loki expected Tony to keep his cocky, exuberantly cheesy grin on his face, but it quickly faded into a painful look.

Loki paused when Tony stopped caressing his jawline, moving to stand by the windowsill. Loki felt his heart beating in his chest. Was Sleipnir dead!? Did Svadilfari find him? He didn't like the silence Tony had at all!

"Anthony? Anthony, where's Sleipnir?" Loki croaked, dreading the absolute worst.

"Babe, please don't be mad, but since Svadsilfairy was in New York and all..." Tony began in hesitation.

"Did he take him!? Did he-" Loki cried, panic ensuing him.

"No, no of course not. I have an old friend who is taking care of Sleipnir at the moment. They're going to bring Sleipnir home once we get Fairy-Guy taken care of." Tony explained.

Loki's face cringed up into one of hurt and rage. His baby, his little Sleipnir. He only held him once...he never even got to say goodbye...

_"How could you?"_ Loki choked out, covering his face with his hands to hide the wracks of sobs that began to make his whole body shiver.

Tony moved, placing his hand on Loki's shoulder, but the malnourished god shoved him aside. Tony stumbled, nearly hitting the wall feet away.

"Don't touch me!_ I didn't_...I didn't even get to see him...he's _my son_, Anthony!" Loki angrily shrieked, his whole expression twisted now into grief.

"I did it to protect him! To protect you," Tony calmly protested, "I had to make sure there was absolutely no way Fairy-dude could find Sleipnir, should he come looking for either of you."

Even so, Tony's calm words could not stop Loki from wailing aloud, curling onto his side and burying his face into his covers.

Tony slowly crept back onto the bed. He knew he was probably a big asshole in Loki's eyes, but he knew what had to be done had to be done. Pepper wouldn't do harm to Sleipnir. Everything would turn out fine in the end.

He gently wrapped his arms around Loki's waist, pulling him up and into his arms. Loki seemed to calm down, still lightly sobbing as Tony cradled him.

"He's very safe, Lokes. I promise I left him with a very responsible friend. It won't be very long, as soon as Svadsilfairy is eliminated, he will be right home with you, okay?"

Loki must've stopped listening, for within a few moments, all Tony heard was the soft, fluttery and familiar sound of Loki's calmed breathing, asleep in his arms. Tony couldn't help but smile, holding the taller god close.


	15. Chapter 15

Pepper stood tiredly outside the door of the little secluded house. It was surely a rental, for who could actually purchase such an exquisite looking house right outside the city of London?

A young woman answered, her dark brown, almost black hair swept over her shoulders, her chestnut eyes appearing in a ditzy confusion.

The rain was pouring everywhere, soaking the ginger woman from head to toe as she held the infant close to her.

"I'm looking for a Jane Foster?" Pepper asked.

The woman shrugged, then turned to the stairs and yelled, "Jane! A lady-friend's here to talk to you!"

She turned back to Pepper, gesturing for her to come inside.

"M'name's Darcy, I'm her intern," she explained, before another brown-haired woman plopped her way down the stairs.

"Darcy, don't shout in the house...oh." the woman tiredly began, before noticing they had company. Pepper sighed.

"I'm Pepper Potts, ma'am. Are you Jane Foster?" Pepper queried. Jane nodded, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"That I would be. Is there any particular reason you are here, Ms. Potts?" Jane replied warily.

Pepper gestured to the infant in her arms with a smile.

"I have come to you for assistance in sheltering this boy. It is a dire situation, Ms. Foster, for you see, this is Thor's nephew, Sleipnir Lokison."

~.::.~

Loki sat cross-legged by the windowsill, tracing shapes into the cold, condensed glass, feeling emotionally drained. Meanwhile, both Thor and Tony sat, discussing the news between both Earth and Asgard, while warily keeping an eye on Loki from a distance.

"He was very upset, about Sleipnir," Tony muttered. Thor glanced at Loki with concern, seeing how red and swollen his eyes looked from all the tears.

"Aye. We must pray to the Norns that it won't be too long before they are reunited, for his sake." Thor replied.

Loki cleared his throat, his gaze settled upon both Thor and Tony. His throat sounded incredibly sore and raw when he spoke.

"I am not deaf. Gaining my sight didn't mean I lost my ears." Loki hoarsely growled.

"Brother-" Thor began. Loki sighed, shaking his head and once again staring out the window.

"Save me your words of remorse. You cannot reverse the damage that has been dealt." Loki spat.

Tony scowled.

"Babe, you know we had to send Sleipnir away, he's gonna come ba-"

"And what if he doesn't, Anthony!? What if Svadilfari has already murdered your mystery 'old friend' and taken him away!? You do not think these things through, if Svadilfari can track me he can track my son!" he snarled. He jolted from the windowsill, not caring that it was raining, and headed out to the balcony.

"Loki, don't..." Tony groaned, jerking from where he had been rather comfortably seated and hustled to go nab Loki.

Loki stood in the soaking rain, allowing himself to get chilled to the bone. But that was okay, he liked the cold. Even though he loathed the appearance of his Jotun side, it felt natural, as the blue crept up into his skin for the first time in months.

He licked his lips, the salted liquid cooly running down his marked skin. It relieved him, although temporary, from the grieving reminder that this was the form that was the reason he was able to birth Sleipnir. The reason Svadilfari took advantage of him.

He shuddered, suddenly unable to wipe the image of Svadilfari from his head, as he tied him down, bare, dumping buckets of freezing cold water over his exhausted, abused flesh, if only to achieve him to have the form of a Frost Giant for a good while.

"Loki, _please_ come inside, what if Svadsilfairyguy spots you? I'm sorry. I mean like yeah, I know, I'm a major dick, but I wanted the best for you and the baby...are you alright?" Tony stammered. Loki rolled his crimson eyes, turning to face Tony.

"I doubt from this height he will be able to steal a glance at me." Loki scoffed.

Tony stumbled back, startled by Loki's Jotun form, and the god couldn't help but feel hurt.

"Hideous, is it not? Here I am, Anthony. Here is the _disgusting body_ that allowed me to conceive Sleipnir in the first place." Loki snarled, "I am not Thor's brother, but I am a prince. The heir to the Jotunheim throne. Cast aside, for just like Sleipnir, _I too was a runt!" _

He watched with shock as Tony shook his head, as if in denial to his words.

"You're not hideous. Don't call yourself that. Here, come on inside, let's get you in some dry clothes." Tony sighed, gesturing for Loki's hand.

Taken aback with Tony's words, Loki blindly took the hand in sudden submission.

"Fine, I will come back inside. But do not think it does not mean that I am not angry with you, Anthony Stark." Loki replied bitterly.

~.::.~

Jane held the tiny Sleipnir in her arms, holding the bottle to his small mouth as he generously gulped down the milk from the bottle.

Pepper smiled, sitting beside them on Jane's couch, helping support Sleipnir's head as he drank.

"You're a natural mother, Ms. Foster! I think he likes you!" she mused cheerily.

Jane nodded, before gently pulling away the bottle and lifting Sleipnir to burp him.

The baby obliged, burping over her shoulder, before allowing Jane to place him back in the carrier that Pepper had brought along.

"This is still crazy, that this is Thor's brother's kid. Is Thor alright, with all of this happening?" Jane admitted.

"Yes, he is, if not he wouldn't have sent me here to protect Sleipnir. I can only imagine how Loki reacted, he only got to hold him once and all-"

"Only once?" Jane echoed, a bit of heartache settling in. If she were the actual mother of this perfect angel, Sleipnir, she would've been distraught for him to be taken from her arms right after birth. But Pepper had insisted that a great evil was following Loki, one that needed to be vanquished, before they could safely return the baby to its mother.

Jane swallowed hard, looking down at little Sleipnir, whose round, soft hazel eyes looked back at her with curiosity.

"And what happens if this evil ends up never being destroyed? What happens if Loki isn't ever safe?" Jane queried nervously.

Pepper's eyes darkened.

"Then Sleipnir will be under our protection and guardianship, until _death_," she grimly replied.


	16. Chapter 16

Tony sighed, staring at the multiple racks of jewelry and feeling utterly lost.

He turned to Natasha, who was looking at a silver arrow pendant on a small, simple matching chain.

"Thanks again for offering to help me, Nat. You know I have absolutely no taste in fashion. You are the master of disguises, anyways, I suspect you have to occasionally wear lady-clothes," Tony grumbled.

Nat rolled her eyes.

"I do wear actual clothes, Tony. You're a bit edgy, are you alright?" Nat replied, raising a reddish eyebrow. Tony shrugged.

"I'm just a little freaked out that I'm actually gonna do it. That I'm gonna propose to Loki. But uh, y'know...am I the only one who has a bad feeling about leaving Clint and Loki alone in the Towers?"

Natasha shrugged.

"No, why?"

"Because...oh god, they're probably ripping each other's heads off." Tony groaned.

~.::.~

MEANWHILE...

~.::.~

_"Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!"_

Loki leaned forward from where he was perched on the couch, sandwiched between Clint and Thor.

"This Midgardian programming is absolutely dull," Thor groaned, "Brother, wouldn't you rather joust?"

"_Shut up, Thor, _this is getting interesting." Loki snarled. Clint chuckled, passing Loki the bowl of popcorn.

"I knew you'd like Star Wars!" Clint cheered back in response.

~.::.~

Natasha slunk past Tony, pointing out a particularly fascinating ring.

"Hey Tony, check this one out." she offered. Tony shook his head. It was a flashy thing, lots of diamonds and exquisite design. Loki would be flattered, perhaps, but not find it terribly intriguing.

They had searched through just about every single one, until...

Tony paused, seeing a box in the back of the store. Compared to the other vividly intricate rings and their cases, this one seemed stuffed in the back, marked at a meager 125$. It must've been unpopular, or unwanted, or whatever, but Tony was fascinated.

Now, he didn't want to be cheap. That was the last thing on his mind, but so far, all the fancy rings didn't really have anything that reminded him particularly of his beloved Loki.

He opened it up, his eyes widening as he looked over the gold ring with small Swarovski crystals looping around it, both shaped like twin snakes, their heads lining on either end of a simple emerald.

For a cheaper price, this was the best ring Tony had seen. He grinned. He knew this was the one, the lucky ring that he would see upon Loki's finger.

He placed the case gently at the counter.

"I'll take this one." was all he said.

~.::.~

**A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter! The next one will be longer, I promise :)**

**-PhantomLilac**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: WARNING! This chapter contains sex! It's consensual, however, I reassure!**

~.::.~

Loki sat up as the credits rolled, hearing the click of the elevator quietly shutting before he glanced up at Tony. With his slender fingers he grasped the remote, turning it off after successfully completing every film of Star Wars.

"Hey Lokes, I thought Clint was supposed to be watching you?" Tony asked, raising a brown eyebrow. Loki shrugged.

"I offered Thor my bedroom, so that is where he is. Barton grew tired and retreated to his floor. I presumed with my oaf of a brother right next door, if anything dreadful were to occur I could just yell for his assistance." Loki mused.

Tony nodded, licking his lips, before approaching the god and plopping down on the couch beside him.

"Did Clint teach 'ya how to work the television?"

Loki shrugged.

"It took a while to get this inferior screen to show the film, but he managed to show the God of Mischief a few new tricks," Loki murmured, grinning mischievously.

Tony didn't get much of a chance to get deep into a meaningful conversation with his lover, before Loki's deft hand reached for his pants, palming at a sensitive spot gently.

His eyes widened, startled by Loki's sudden advancement, but the only noise that came out of his lips was a moan of delight as those sneaky hands gave a light squeeze, sending hot sparks down his back.

"Mm, you were gone for such a long time," Loki murmured, leaning forward and nipping Tony's ear.

"I was...ah, running a few errands," Tony responded, turning his head slightly to catch Loki's lips against his own. Loki's tongue gently washed over his own, the first deep, alluring kiss they had ever shared.

Before, it felt like romantic, gushy child's play, little pecks here and there, hugs, cuddles, nothing truly sexy. Tony hadn't been prepared for this sort of welcome-home treatment, but he sure as hell wasn't about to back down from it.

The gentle movements of Loki's hand overtop the growing tent of his pants became too much, Loki moving to straddle upon Tony's lap, his blue skinny jeans meshing with the soft washed denim of Tony's own pair, making the intense erotic heat grow stronger.

He broke the kiss, touching Loki's cheek gently, who frowned.

"Anthony-" he began to object, but Tony cut him off.

"Shouldn't we move this to my bedroom, sweets, so we don't wake up the girl scout not too far from us?" Tony anxiously interrupted.

Loki sighed, wrapping his legs up around Tony's waist.

"Carry me then~" Loki purred, his green eyes glittering with tease.

~.::.~

Tony grabbed a bottle of lubricant off of his shelf, nervously glancing over at Loki, who was sprawled gently upon his bed, sporting a rather seductive grin on his face.

"Lokes, you sure you wanna do this? I don't wanna force you or anything..." he muttered. Loki huffed, rolling his eyes.

"By the Norns, Anthony, get over here!" Loki groaned.

Tony paused, before slowly moving his way to the bedside, his thumb rubbing timidly against the side of the bottle.

He didn't get much time to settle his way onto the comfortable bed before Loki's fingertips reached forward and snatched at his collar, tugging on it impatiently to rip it upwards. The red fabric yanked up and over his head, tossed placidly aside, soon to be forgotten in the foreshadowed bliss.

Loki licked his lips, straddling his legs apart, before his eyes leered onto the lubricant bottle.

"You will not need that, Anthony," Loki reassured, then let out a slight giggle before continuing, "I do believe I am wet enough for your taking."

To that, he placed the bottle gently on the night stand, allowing his eyes to wander gently to discover that indeed, Loki's gentle hole was dripping wet, ready for him to take.

Tony's face turned bright red as he stared down at Loki's perfect, pale body, already nude and exposed across the bed. He couldn't believe they were about to do this, they were actually going to have sex. And Loki was allowing this to occur, so soon after...

Loki caught his facial expression of nervousness, and he scowled a bit, concern crossing his face.

"Anthony, what troubles you?" Loki murmured, moving to sit up. Tony shrugged.

"Ah, Lokes, I dunno, it's just..." Tony began, but couldn't find the right words to say that wouldn't offend Loki.

Loki cupped his chin gently, a smile forming lightly onto his pale red lips.

"I am consenting this, Anthony. Do not let my previous history with that...monster, abhor our moment. Please?"

The pleading in Loki's voice was all he needed. He swallowed hard, nodding.

"If I hurt you Loki, tell me to stop. I won't make ya do anything you don't wanna, okay?" Tony murmured.

"You won't hurt me, love, just give it to me." Loki cooed seductively, resting his hands gently on Tony's shoulder as the brunette man gently pressed him back down comfortably into the mattress.

His black hair, previously very tame, fell around his snow white face in a halo. Loki's bright emerald eyes were wide with anticipation and a lustful allure, his jaw parted slightly in short, excited breaths.

Tony hesitated, a bit nervous, and stunned by Loki's beauty.

'It's no wonder Fairy-dude liked him so much. God, he's so fucking beautiful,' Tony thought, biting his tongue to keep it from saying it aloud. He didn't want to ruin this for his...well, could he say boyfriend at this point? He knew the mention of Svadilfari would make it crash and burn, and he didn't plan on doing so.

Tony lowered himself down, a knee pressed briefly in between Loki's legs, taking a pause to spread them further.

He glanced from his hardened own member to Loki's face, his eyebrows furrowing, and he couldn't help but ask him one more time.

"Lokes, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" he repeated.

Loki let out a huff.

"For the love of Bor! Do it!" he whined.

There wasn't anymore convincing. As Tony eased his way into Loki's warm, inviting body, the god let out a keening cry, his hands clutching the pale green bedsheets. He scrabbled for an anchor, and Tony granted him one as he interlaced their fingertips.

With every thrust, Loki's back arched, hips rolling to meet Tony's movements, his pace speeding up in ecstasy. He bent down, sloppily running his lips across Loki's blindly and meeting into what they tried to make into a kiss.

Loki's tongue battered gently in synch with his, leaving a trail of saliva across Tony's tanned cheek, a triumphant grin passing onto his face as Loki's hands tightened in his.

"Harder!" Loki moaned lustfully. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure, I could-"

"Anthony, please?" It was that damned word again, that little bit of plead that made Tony's heart melt. He was nervous about hurting Loki, but if a bit of pain was what he wanted...

His thrusts grew faster, more breathy and quick. Loki squirmed beneath him, panting and writhing, crying Tony's name over and over again, it only made Tony more entranced, increasing his speed until at last...

With one final, hard thrust, he let out a groan, finally spilling out his climax. At the same time, he felt Loki's own finish slick between their stomachs, adding density to the layer of sweat the two had already produced.

Tony slid down onto the covers, now both panting out of utter exhaustion.

"Damn it, Lokes, that was hot." Tony mumbled, unconsciously reaching to nestle his arm in a comfortable manner upon Loki's waist.

Loki moved, interlacing the gentle hand hugging his hips with his own, and giving it an earthbound squeeze.

"I'm not going back to Asgard, I want to stay here," Loki groaned in response, resting his chin upon Tony's thick head of hair.

Tony yawned, stroking his thumb against the pad of Loki's soft, tender palm.

"I would never make you leave, beautiful," came Tony's jumbled, slurred response. He didn't quite hear Loki's _"I love you, Anthony Stark,"_ before he gave into the warm seduction of sleep.

He would later regret not staying awake a few moments longer. Not saying to Loki that he loved him back.

Anthony's dreams brought him happy illusions that at last his love life would he saved and whole.

Alas, he was so terribly wrong.

~.::.~

Darkness. Silence. Comfortable slumber, pleasant dreams. His Anthony, curled against him.

Then the hand clamped over his mouth, something ripping him away from warmth and safety and protection.

"Say a word, slut, and I will kill him where he lies," the rough growl intones to his ear.

His eyes widen, his scream completely muffled into soundlessness.

And then again, he was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

Loki gritted his teeth, buttoning on the light green shirt Svadilfari had grabbed from Hel knows where, his eyes not leaving his captor's face.

Svadilfari grinned, a vile, crooked smile with a few missing teeth, his glinting brown eyes settling onto Loki's clothed form. He licked his lips, bending down to land another kiss onto Loki's mouth, who turned his head away in disgust.

"Don't act that way to your husband, might I remind you," Svadilfari snarled, his hot, disgusting breath on Loki's ear. The god snorted, crossing his arms flatly upon his chest and not budging from his spot.

"It won't be that way for long, asshole." Loki huffed. That was enough to set the much larger, stronger man off. The moment the bruising grip landed on his throat, nailing him to the wall, Loki's eyes watered, a cough sputtering from his lips as once again he tried to breathe.

"You call me such a disgraceful name when I found you, sinning away with a mortal! You are bound to me, faithful to me, and I will keep you here until you agree to return our child rightfully to me!" he shrieked. Loki could only cruelly laugh, face turning blue from the lack of oxygen.

"I don't have him." Loki chuckled.

Svadilfari growled, throwing him to the ground, watching as Loki sputtered for air, the reddish color returning to his cheeks, his entire face, as his lungs slowly accepted air. He gently pushed the black hair out of his face, about to retort, before his collar was grabbed again.

The Vanir pulled on Loki's neck collar roughly, holding him inches from his face and finding inner glee as he clawed desperately at the hands keeping him immobile.

"And by the way, how the hell did you even get into the towers without setting off the alarms!?" Loki spat, eyes wild with a burning hatred.

It was Svadilfari's turn to laugh, the amused tears stinging his face as Loki stood, dumbfounded by his cheery reaction.

"I am smarter than you believe, my dear pet. I am a traveler, do not think this is the first time I have been on Midgard. Breaching a security system is quite an easy plight for me. You are not the only one here who possesses Seidr," he crooned.

Loki's emerald eyes widened, and he parted his jaw to ask something else, but the obnoxious brute slammed him, wrists behind his back, to the wall.

"Fucking put me down, Svadilfari!" Loki screeched, let out a yell of fury and violently struggling.

"Hold still, or it will damn hurt more!" the man responded. But Loki simply refused to hold still, allowing the blue skin of his Jotun heritage creep over his appearance.

Svadilfari let out a cry of pain, only prompting Loki to laugh maniacally as the Vanir stumbled backwards, clutching the light frostbite that had stung his hand. With a wave of magic, he made the slick patch of ice vanish, and his fury only grew.

He once again rammed into Loki, forcing his stomach to touch the brick of the wall, before holding onto his wrists roughly. The magic still in his system willed the Frost Giant to vanish away, his body changing back to the pale Aesir form of Odin's former enchantment. Loki let out a growl of frustration, but found that now he could not move his wrists.

"Oh? I thought you quite liked tricks, Liesmith," Svadilfari teased. Loki screamed, ramming his cuff-bound wrists at Svadilfari to no use.

The Vanir had won, leading Loki over gently to a chair (or so they claim to be gentle, Loki kicked and howled curses and clawed to the best of his ability) before looping his wrists behind the back of the wooden chair, binding it tightly so he could not move.

Svadilfari reached into the pocket of his leather jacket, pulling out a cellphone with a sadistic grin, looking over his shoulder at Loki as he hit the "speaker" button.

"Oh for the Norn's sake, you have a _phone_!?" Loki snarled.

"Quiet, or I'll fuck you so hard right now that your body will be sore for weeks," Svadilfari threatened. Loki shrunk back, clearly intimidated by this threat, which only made the brunette braided Vanir chuckle as he dialed the precise number he had searched for in the past few days.

~.::.~

Tony awoke to find his arms wrapped tightly around a pillow instead of Loki.

He sat up, mumbling something incoherent before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He blinked, staring down at the pillow with confusion, before glancing about the room.

"Lokes?" he groaned, but Loki's side of the light sea foam-colored bed was folded tidily and neatly, not a trace of the god to be seen.

He sat up, deciding that perhaps Loki had gotten up earlier and was probably eating something (Loki had always been an early riser), and that he should get up and go find him.

Tony felt too lazy to shower, instead-with a bit of a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest-wanted to go find Loki. He fumbled for the ring box he had kept in his nightstand, pulling out the leather case and circling his thumb across it with a cheeky grin.

He would propose to Loki. It made so much sense now. They had made love, and now Tony was so certain that it was a match meant to be.

Not even a second passed before he placed the ring case back down, rushing to get dressed in something decent, even bothering to spray on deodorant and his nicest, freshest cologne. Tony brushed his hands through his soft, fluffy chestnut hair, putting on his best "Hey, handsome" sort of cocky grin, before snatching up the case again, stuffing it into his pocket.

He burst the door open, only to be immediately confronted by Thor.

In shock, he stumbled backwards, then awkwardly brushed off his black jacket.

"Mornin', Thor. Do you know where Lokes might be, I have to talk to him!" Tony cheerily exclaimed, but his smile quickly faded when he saw Thor's frown.

"Nay, I haven't seen him since last evening. I was about to ask the same, question, Stark. I sensed strange magic coming from your bed chambers."

Tony shook his head in disbelief.

"Loki wouldn't leave, would he? He seemed so happy yesterday. Was it his magic you were feeling?"

Thor's expression grew grim, and Tony internally grimaced, but he seemed to understand what was going on.

Loki wouldn't leave without telling somebody.

Something was terribly wrong.

"JARVIS! Do you have any audio of anything last night? Say, around midnight?" Tony shouted to the invisible AI.

_"I'm sorry, sir," _came the robotic response, _"my systems were down from 12:00 AM to 1:00 AM."_

"Down? Why'd you shut them down?" Tony snapped, a bit irritably.

_"I do not know, sir, my whole system went under shut down immediately within that time frame."_

Tony whirled, facing the blonde, muscular god with a worried look.

"My fucking god," Tony hissed, "someone tampered with JARVIS. Who's the only guy we know who would wanna take Lokes?"

A sort of realization dawned upon Thor, and he murmured, "Svadilfari."

About the same moment he said so, the telephone began to ring.

_"Incoming video call from an Unknown Contact, sir,"_ JARVIS announced.

Tony swallowed hard, pushing past Thor and into the living room, turning on a screen panel immediately.

"Answer it," he replied. Immediately, there was a buzzy sound, and then on the holographic panel, he was face-to-face with that monster. Svadilfari.

Svadilfari grinned. Thor rushed into the room, additionally scowling.

"Svadilfari, release Loki wherever he is!" Thor boomed. The man snickered in response.

"I reassure you he is very safe with me, I would like to make a deal." Svadilfari purred.

"As if!" Tony snapped, feeling the angry heat burning into his mind. Of course the jackass would come for him, but why did it have to be now?

"Anthony?" a familiar voice, not too far away, sounded on the video call. Svadilfari's face turned slightly, burning red as it changed into rage.

"I told you to fucking stay quiet, bitch!" he snapped.

"Fuck off! Anthony do not bargain with him! Don't give him-" Loki's pleads were cut off by a shrill scream, and Svadilfari's tanned, scarred face changed into one of pleasantry and a hint of sadism.

"What have you done to my brother?" Thor shrilled. Svadilfari chortled again.

"I shut him up, that's all. Gotta train your slut, am I right? Now, back to that deal...I will gladly return Loki to you, if in one day's time, you visibly have my son. Otherwise..."

The cellphone camera shifted, landing upon Loki, who was tightly bound to a chair, stricken into silence by fear. As Anthony could see, there were bruises blossoming on his neck and jawline. He clenched his fists, anger blinding him at the very sight of Loki's battered state.

"There will be more than bruises on, and in, his body when I release him."

Before Anthony could say another word, the whole video was suddenly cut off.

~.::.~

Loki shrunk back as Svadilfari closed the little flip phone, tossing it aside and turning on Loki, a smirk closing over his lips.

He reached down, unzipping the fly of his denim and moving quickly closer. Loki gulped, his emerald eyes growing huge, but his tongue had been magically silenced. Instead, only tears slipped down his cheeks, the quiet "no, no, please" formed across his mouth desperately, but Svadilfari always gets what he wants.

The bigger man grabbed Loki's sweatpants, yanking them clean off of his body.

With a grin, he leaned down, inches away from Loki's lips.

"Now, sweetheart, where were we?"


	19. Chapter 19

The moment Svadilfari touched his lips against Loki, the god clamped his teeth against it.

Svadilfari let out a howl of pain, taking a step back and tenderly rubbing the now swollen, pained lip dribbling with blood. Although he was silenced, Loki grinned triumphantly, watching as Svadilfari turned away, sighing in irritation.

"You know what, slut? You can stay here then, out in the cold, freezing to death instead of my warm bed. You're not going anywhere, sugarplum. Your precious Avengers aren't going to save your sorry fucking ass this time!" he snapped. He moved forward, at least having the decency to pull Loki's pants back up, as his arms were bound and unable to do it himself.

Loki cocked an eyebrow, mouthing the simple word, "Why?" Svadilfari sneered.

"I can't have your ass be frozen for fucking later, can we now? Sleep well, sweetheart, I'm gonna take a lil' nap as well."

Loki's heart sank, the bile rising in his throat with Svadilfari's depart into a room nearby.

For the first time since this horrid kidnapping, he really could look at his surroundings. His magic was still weak, nonetheless, from Sleipnir's birth. He had used almost all of his Seidr to make it painless and ensure that Sleipnir would be born healthily. And fortunately, as soon as the babe had been born, his healing abilities that had been barred previously began to work, restoring his vision completely and removing the marring scars that criss-crossed his skin.

The area was vast, the ceiling probably rotting, and he glanced around, noticing the pale streaks of daylight beginning to seep through the cracks along the walls.

Most of his magic was being withheld by whatever was bound around his wrists. He struggled for a moment, but found it was completely useless trying to break free.

But he felt a spark, a small flare of Seidr in his veins. Just enough not to free him, but maybe catch someone's attention. He had to alert Anthony. He had to get out of here, away from this maniac he was forced to call "husband."

Loki swallowed, concentrating hard, no matter how painful it was, to focus his sorcery on light. He felt it searing through his body, his green eyes burning with tears that dripped from his cheeks in an attempt to get some sort of assistance from the Avengers...it was so painful, but somehow he managed to at last project the beam of pure, sparkling, and almost blinding light far above him.

_'Anthony, please see this for the Norn's sake,' _Loki wanted to say, but alas, his silvertongue was enchanted into utter, resonating silence, _'I love you.' _

~.::.~

"Man of Iron!"

Tony looked up from his frantic pacing, hearing Thor's echoing words. The tall God of Thunder rushed from his spot of the balcony, rapidly pointing to something in the sky.

"What? Is it Lokes!?" Tony shrilled. Thor didn't respond immediately as Anthony shoved past him, stumbling out onto the balcony and into the bright morning sky.

There was a pillar of blinding light not too far out of the city. It was green.

The color of Loki's magic.

"We have no time to waste!" Thor cried, calling Mjolnir to him at an instant.

"I got that! JARVIS activate my suit!" Was all it took for Tony to be off, letting the metal clamp around him.

_'I won't lose you again, Loki. I promised I'd protect you and Sleipnir, so please don't be dead when we find you!'_

~.::.~

**A/N: Uh oh! Will Tony and Thor find Loki in time? Will they defeat Svadilfari and be reunited with Sleipnir once and for all? I guess you'll find out next chapter ;)**

**I think there's only a couple chaps left in this fanfiction, then it will be over. I'm going to be writing a College!AU next and I'm so excited! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Tony arrived, nearly crashing through the roof where the streaks of blinding green light were shot up through.

He paused, realigning his suit, before spotting Loki, not moving, bound tightly to a chair. It didn't take him long to react, rushing to the very spot of his beloved.

From what it looked like, Loki was barely moving, his head lulled to a side and oddly pale. Oh god, had Svadilfari killed him!?

Tony grabbed his shoulders, shaking him until those green, panicked eyes opened and let out a gasp of alarm.

"Anthony, bloody Hel stop shaking me, I'm alright! 'Twas just sleeping." Loki growled irritably. He shifted, and Tony pulled away gently, noticing the hand cuffs keeping Loki's thin wrists locked against the pitiful chair.

"Phew, Lokes, you scared me there for a moment. Jeezus, do you _always_ look dead when you sleep?" Tony remarked in utter relief. Loki rolled his eyes, but they brightened when Thor landed through the rather massive hole Tony had left through the wall, additionally hurrying to Loki's side.

"Brother!" Thor gleefully cheered. It was only seconds later that Tony was able to laser-beam the links on the magic-repelling bands off. Loki shakily stood up, feeling his wrists, before letting out an exhausted sigh.

"It is good to see you both. Can we return to the Towers now? I spent half the night on that rickety piece of shit," Loki said, his nose scrunching up in distaste.

Thor chuckled heartily, his wide, dopey, stupid grin forming onto his mouth.

"Of course, brother, we can go back to the Towers, and celebrate quite a joyous occasion!"

He patted Loki on the back heartily, as the three slowly began to move to exit, Thor swinging Mjolnir in anticipation...

Everything quickly fell into disorderly chaos.

They should have thought this better out. It was logical that Svadilfari had been watching, waiting for them to arrive. They hadn't even considered, they thought he was fast asleep when they could not find him amongst the shadows. Tony and Thor had only seen Loki all alone, in the appearance of death, so their attention was immediately drawn to him, undivided by any potential flaws in their plan.

Svadilfari, the snake, crept along the darkness, pulling his knife out steadily, lip curling back like a greedy hound. They had him, they had HIS Loki. They had no rights to him, his husband was his and his alone!

Thor swung Mjolnir like a ditzy oaf, wrapping his arm around Loki's shoulder to fly him off, but Svadilfari would not let that happen. He lunged forward, stabbing Thor's back hard and cold, tearing Loki away at an instant by the waist.

Loki screamed, Tony moved to fight back, but was interrupted by a wave of dark magic, pinning him to the wall. Suffocating him.

Svadilfari grinned as Loki squirmed in his grip, tears running down his cheeks in fear for his brother and his lover, writhing in dear agony. Svadilfari didn't loosen his grip.

"This is what you get, you whiny bitch. If you had just listened to me, and turned our son over to my possession, I would've just let you be!" Svadilfari snarled.

"Stop it! Stop, Svadilfari..." But the brunette Vanir would have none of it. A sadistic thought crossed his mind as he slammed Loki onto his back, on the ground, pinning him there with his body. Why not force the two idiotic Avengers to be his lovely audience before he murdered them?

Tony winced, finding it very hard to breathe, his eyes burning with hatred as he watched the brute push Loki, already weak in his state, to the ground, who kicked and fought underneath the nasty brute, who grabbed his wrists and flung them over his head, bending down for a kiss.

Loki hissed, but then an idea bubbled into his mind. A desperate, but devious plot. Why, it was the only thing that could possibly stand a chance against him!

Loki interlaced his hands gently with Svadilfari's, before bending up to meet his lips in a kiss. Of course, the oaf did not resist, hungrily taking in the fullness that was Loki's extraordinary mouth.

Tony's face lowered in defeat, the heat of failure flickering in his chest, jealousy, agony, and betrayal seeming to mingle and make his whole body go numb. Loki was willingly kissing the asshole now, so tenderly supporting Svadilfari's weight, at a nonsensical timing. Had his mind been so warped by his abuser that he now went running into his arms?

Except, Loki had other plans. He allowed the Jotun inside to creep slowly underneath his skin. He shuddered slightly at the cold building up, just beneath the visible surface. And then...

Svadilfari screamed, struggling as Loki let go of his mouth, instead keeping his hands firmly in his grip. Svadilfari spit on him, desperately trying to find freedom and dominance, but Loki could only grin as the ice began to firmly form on his hands, causing all magic retaining Tony and Thor to retreat steadily, releasing them from this invisible grip.

"What have you done!?" Svadilfari cried.

"This is the part where we kill you, darling," Loki cooed, allowing Thor to pick the massive brunette up by the scruff of his neck, swinging Mjolnir into his gut. He went hurtling into the wall, lying limp and panting. The impact with the wall rendered him uselessly exhausted, in a heap against the floor.

Thor offered his brother a hand, Loki warily stood up, reverting back to his Aesir form, before touching a hand gently against Thor's stab wound, allowing his healing magic to do its work.

Tony didn't need time to react. He loomed over Svadilfari, his fury hidden by his thick iron mask, but he gritted his teeth, scowling angrily.

"You listen to me, asshole. You are never gonna touch him again, are we clear!?" Tony screeched. Svadilfari's eyes widened in true fear for the first time in his life, and he didn't even get a chance to speak before the repulser beam blasted right into his heart.

Loki stood for a moment, partly hugging Thor, partly staring agape at the dead body only yards away. He swallowed hard, a bit overwhelmed.

Svadilfari wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. He couldn't touch, hear, see, or feel Loki now. He couldn't pin him down and take advantage of him, force him to do outrageous tasks and beat him senselessly until he would cry, cold and alone on the rickety, torn mattress of their penned-up cottage.

He slowly broke away from Thor, bending down and placing his fingertips on Svadilfari's neck. Tony removed his mask, kneeling down beside Loki and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The neck was freezing cold, just like the frostbitten ice upon his hands.

"Oh dear, is he _dead_?" Loki asked, seemingly horrorstricken.

Anthony's eyebrows furrowed, a bit of concern dwelling in his heart, and empathy.

"I didn't wanna have to kill him, sweetheart, but he wouldn't have ever let you go, and I just wanted t-"

"_Good_, the fucking bastard had it coming for him!" Loki chuckled heartily, wrapping his arms around Anthony's neck and squeezing himself as close to him as possible. Anthony couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Well, I might as well call up Pepper when we get back to the Towers and tell her we're coming to get Sleipnir," Tony sighed.

Loki's eyes sparkled with excitement and joy at the prospect of being reunited with his son again. He cupped Tony's cheeks, not hesitating to plant a grateful kiss upon his lips.

Thor looked away, a bit remorseful. He had remembered when it was his lips that Loki was kissing, caressing, reassuring. Now it was Tony Stark's, and he couldn't bring himself to be jealous, rather this sad, empty feeling in his chest. As long as Loki was happy, Thor was happy. He would have to let him go, live the life he wanted instead of the one Thor wanted with him. It wouldn't quite work out in the end, anyways, as Thor saw it, the Asgardian court would surely object if they were to be married.

He cleared his throat, interrupting the couple's kiss.

"To the Towers?" Thor reminded them.

And so off they went, Loki held closely against Tony as he activated his suit, ready to sail off.

Loki with Tony.

Right where he belonged.

~.::.~

**A/N: Only a few chapters left! Thank you everyone for staying with me all the way since chapter one and helping me turn this bit, just-for-fun fic into a fullblown, happy ending of a fic! I really appreciate all your wonderful support!**

**I also have an announcement: my next fic is going to be a FrostIron College!AU :)! I haven't thought of a title yet but I nearly have the first chapter done and I can't wait to start writing it. It's not your typical College!AU, I reassure you all ;) It's got my classic twists here and there I am certain you will enjoy ;)**

**Thank you all again! I hope you've all been enjoying Mortal Bonds!**

**-PhantomLilac**


	21. Chapter 21

Loki had been calm for most of the trip. He had been utterly exhausted, resting his head on Tony's lap while he talked and stared out the airplane window. Thor had already fallen asleep, snoring away-like usual-in his seat somewhere behind them to their right.

It wasn't until they were halfway to London that Loki started panicking. He trembled, whimpered, horrific nightmares wracking his body for the first time in weeks. He knew it was the tainted magic of Svadilfari leaving his system, the binding spell that would keep Loki forever the mate of that monster, finally broken. But it made him feel so very sick, and frightened, and on edge.

Tony gently pulled his head up from his lap and instead to his chest, gently stroking his fingers through Loki's black hair. He wasn't sure what to say, or react, but he at least tried to make things better for Loki. He would soon get an idea of how helpful he was, for within seconds of Loki's stirring from his ghoulish dreams came soft breathing. His lengthy arms wrapped tightly around Tony, afraid to let him go and lose him again.

"It's okay, Lokes, you're safe. Take deep breaths," Tony reassured. Loki followed his advice, finding the tension seizing his mind slowly fade away, and he began to sit up. Tony pulled the blanket back around his neck, slinging his own arm around his shoulder for support.

"What were you dreaming about?" Tony asked. Loki shrugged, his eyes now wide awake and shadowy from his shaken plight.

"Meaningless happenings," Loki muttered breathlessly, "Silly things I needn't fear any longer."

"It's okay to have nightmares. I get nightmares about plenty of things. For a long time, I didn't have anyone to comfort me when I got 'em, but now I have you, Lokes, and you have me."

Loki let out what sounded close to a purr, nestling his raven-haired head onto the arm firmly, yet gently, on his shoulders.

"I concur, Anthony."

~.::.~

It was a rather long drive. Loki had positioned himself rather comfortably in the backseat of the car, for the most part because he had a massive headache (which more than likely occurred from all of the slamming around Svadilfari dealt him less than 24 hours before).

Thor was stooped over in his seat, his blonde, tan body barely even fitting in the vehicle, to which Tony had to stifle a laugh as the blonde god clearly struggled to implant himself in the itty bitty space.

Tony and Thor talked, and laughed, over fond and not so fond memories. Loki dozed, drifting in and out of consciousness, though thankfully not having anymore dreadful nightmares. He grimaced a few times, on edge and tense, as if to start whimpering, but would gain enough self-control to ease out of it. Tony would in concern flash a glance at the rear-view mirror, before Thor would reassure him that Loki would recover.

It wasn't too far into the outskirts of the city that Tony found the address, slowly easing into the small parking lot. He pulled the gear into park, before turning and adoringly gazing at Loki, who was fast asleep. Loki had tucked his thick jacket around him like a blanket, his light, lively face masked with the rich black bangs of his hair.

"Let us allow him rest a moment longer, Anthony," Thor suggested, "Loki has suffered much in recent times."

Tony nodded, leaving the air conditioning on, before hopping out of the car, quickly scurrying his way to the other side to help the obnoxiously tall Thor out.

They didn't even have to wait for anyone to come greet them. Pepper practically pranced out of Jane's home, excitement sparking her step. Tony almost forgot about his relationship with Loki for a moment, remembering when Pepper used to bounce at the front steps of his Malibu mansion when he'd come home. He shook the memory away quickly.

"You actually came! So I'm assuming the 'other guy' issue was handled?" she chirped, blue eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Svadilfari is no longer a threat to Sleipnir, nor Loki." Thor assured, his tired gaze lifting from Tony and settling upon Pepper. She cheerily smiled in response.

"Oh good! Jane will be so ecstatic to see you!"

Thor's expression changed to surprise, his brow furrowing with worry.

"Jane Foster...?"

"Lives here, yes. She's with Sleipnir now."

Thor shot Tony Stark a glance-he knew now why Tony refused to tell them where they were going. Thor would've flat out refused. Now that he was here, he had no choice. He would have to see Jane, in order to retrieve Sleipnir.

He sighed in a mix of aggravation and submission, but before he could speak, Tony patted him on the back, interrupting his thought process.

"Great! Pep, could we see my son now?" Tony chirruped.

Pepper nodded, quickly bringing them inside.

~.::.~

**A/N: Guys, I am sooooo sorry to make you all wait! I have been on vacation for the past couple of weeks and have been terribly busy with conventions (my other hobby besides writing is cosplaying-and I sew all my costumes myself which is an agonizingly long process). I have not been outside the middle of nowhere in which I live to see the beach all the way across the country in over a year, and when you're not by any seawater and the warm, inviting sand, you grow a bit...well...crazy! xD**

**So again, very sorry, I will be back to updating a bit more frequently now and then. If you all are interested, I'm experimenting with an idea I had for a Loki as an Avenger AU. I have the first chapter up, the fic is called Curiosity and it's also FrostIron. I will not be updating that one as frequently, because I would like to finish this project.**

**Also side note: Any of you following my inactive Thorki fanfiction The Prince of Jotunheim? For those of you who do, raise your hands if you didn't like the direction I took Nal and Lopt? Wow. That's a lot of hands. Well don't you worry, followers! I have knocked out the entire second half, and I am going to be rewriting the second half drastically, because yes, I am well aware of how much it sucked...and then I got writer's block on it and just ughhh. Now that the second half is out of the way, I have more opportunities to show you Thor and Loki's relationship in the fanfiction! Yay! **

**Thank you all for staying with this story despite my spastic updating tendencies _ (yeah major fail on my part, I know...sorry D:). The next handful of chapters will have plenty of fluff and a sliver of a plot involving...Odin and Thanos! (Don't worry though he won't go anywhere near Loki. You'll just have to see what happens with that.)**

**So again, thank you all of my lovely followers/reviewers/favoriters! You all are absolutely wonderful! I appreciate you all immensely!**

**-PhantomLilac **


	22. Chapter 22

For the first time in a rather long span of time, Loki was actually having a pleasant dream.

Which quickly ended with someone shaking him and repeatedly calling his name.

"Lokes! Hey Loki! Loki!" a voice in utter loud intensity urged.

Tiredly, Loki rubbed his creased eyes, yet he was so utterly exhausted, he could only let them lull somewhat open, a tired moan escaping his lips.

"At what abhorrent hour do you awaken me to, Anthony? And for what cause?" he grumbled, turning to curl back up and sleep, but Tony refused to let him nap again.

"Yeah, okay, whatever. I won't let you hold Reindeer Games Junior then, fine with me," Tony sarcastically responded.

Loki's eyes jerked open, the realization of Tony's words practically slapping him in the face.

He sat up, before scooting over some in the backseat, gesturing for Tony to join him. Tony of course obliged, slowly easing his way into the carseat, holding a tiny bundle in his arms, which seemed to be squirming. Tony was clearly not well adjusted to holding children, but teaching him could easily be arranged.

Loki hesitated as Tony urged him to hold Sleipnir. His son. He hadn't seen the child since he was born...well, held him. He had been blinded then, but shortly after his birth and when Loki had gone into a temporary coma, he had regained his vision, and lost his ability to keep his child nearby.

The blanketed boy was handed over to him, and he cradled it gently in his arms, as he had watched Asgardian women hold their own babes.

Sleipnir was so small. Small for an Asgardian, small for a Jotun...and most certainly smaller than most Midgardians. He couldn't have been more than 6 pounds of weight. The child stirred in his thick red blankets, before he opened his eyes to look at Loki.

His heart stopped in his chest for a moment, staring at those beautiful orbs of hazel. He had seen those orbs before, in portraits hanging around Svadilfari's cottage. They were the color of Svadilfari's mother's own.

And also Tony's.

He swallowed hard, feeling the hard lump in his throat swell until it was hard to breath, shakily taking in a breath as the tears uncontrollably dribbled down his face.

Tony seemed to understand that this was difficult for Loki, gently taking Sleipnir from his arms and holding him ever so carefully.

"He...he's..." Loki stammered through heavy breaths, his lungs struggling not to turn into sobs.

"It's okay Lokes. I won't treat him any differently, I promise you." Tony reassured, moving to place a free hand overtop of Loki's.

"He's so beautiful," Loki cried, "I don't deserve him, nor do I deserve your affection."

Tony smiled cockily, pulling his hand away and reaching into his pocket. Loki had still not looked up, his gaze deadlocked at the back of the driver's seat, his eyes red and puffy from both crying and from lack of sleep from the months before.

He pulled out the small ring box, sliding his hand over and shoving the small leather box underneath the god's boney fingertips.

Loki lifted his head, grazing his eyes over to the little box placed into his hand. Tony's grin only widened when Loki appeared so confused.

"What is-"

"C'mon, open it, a little gift from me to you."

Loki glanced at it, wondering what little prank Tony was obviously (at least in his eyes) attempting to pull on him.

He traced his fingers across the top of the leather box, gently scooping it up and examining it.

"Just open it!" Tony urged. Loki rolled his eyes.

"To what mischief, Anthony?" he retorted.

Sleipnir let out some sort of gurgling, irritated sound. Tony chuckled, rocking him back and forth gently in his arms.

"You're making Reindeer Games Junior mad," he teased, eyes glimmering with mirth.

Loki finally gave in, opening the teeny black box, and was immediately stunned into silence.

It was a ring, an engagement one at that. Two silver snakes twirled up around a gold base, wrapping their inanimate bodies around a single, vibrant emerald in the center.

Loki swallowed hard, glancing warily Tony's direction.

"Are you seriously offering me a proposal, or are you attempting to woo me back into your bed?" Loki mumbled in suspicion.

"Aw. I thought you liked it in my bed," Tony replied, mocking hurt. Loki fumbled with the ring, examining it further.

"I was probably intoxicated with that...beer substance you offered me. 'Twas a foolish move on my part." the raven-haired man responded, before slipping the ring upon the appropriate finger.

Tony's hazel eyes lit up, a pleasant grin appearing on his face.

"Uh. Is that a yes or a no, Bambi?"

Loki bent over, pressing a kiss upon his lips.

"If you would shut up a second more, I believe that is a _yes_."


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I wanted to start this chapter off with a very important author's note.**

**All of you followers.**

**Every single one of you.**

**Are freakin amazing!**

**Mortal Bonds now has over ONE HUNDRED followers!**

**All of you have made me feel so special, you know that? Every last one of you, whether you stumbled upon my fanfiction recently or have been following it since the very beginning of it, have influenced this fanfiction into the story that it is right now and I thank every single one of you for it.**

**You guys FRIGGA'n rock, okay!? :D**

**Thank you all so much! I hope you will enjoy the last few chapters of Mortal Bonds, I've written them extra fluffy and feelsy just for all of you.**

**-PhantomLilac**

~.::.~

Tony hummed absentmindedly, cranking his wrench onto a loose bolt to secure it, when a 'humph' of disapproval interrupted his thoughts.

It had only taken a few months or so for the whole Svadilfari issue to wash over. The time in between was rough for both Loki and Tony. Even with Sleipnir back and safe at home, Svadilfari's influence was like a drug, and Loki went through nasty withdrawal systems. After the time of terror and initial fears, Loki had lost his dependance and fears of Svadilfari, accepted that his abuser was gone, and...went back to his snarky, arrogant ego. Which was okay with Tony. Sort of.

"Anthony, I said not to bring Sleipnir into your workshop." Loki growled.

Tony looked up, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He had one of those baby carriers strapped above his shoulders and secured to his stomach. Sleipnir giggled away nonsensically. He was quite the typical infant.

Before any objections could be made, Loki flicked his wrist, using his magic to whisk Sleipnir away from Tony and into his arms, the baby immediately grabbing and yanking his tiny fists into Loki's black locks, though the Aesir didn't seem to notice.

"Aw come on. I was showing him how to power a 9000-volt engine for his sweet sixteen present." Tony waggled his eyebrows. Loki appeared unamused.

"I'm certain Sleipnir would not fare well with engines or anything involving voltage at his age." he shot back down. Tony pouted, pulling his best puppy face, but again Loki did not budge.

"You missed the part about his sweet sixteen. Sleipnir is gonna be the best NASCAR driver there is, for Stark Industries of course!"

Loki sighed, allowing Tony to have his moment of glory over the car engine, before tipping his head in confusion.

"That's sixteen years from now, Anthony. Take a break, especially a shower." Loki said with a indignant snort, turning on his heels and walking away, unable to conceal the amused smirk on his face.

~.::.~

Loki scooted over, allowing Natasha a seat by the large Stark flatscreen projector on the wall.

"Thanks for allowing me to come hang out, I really needed a time away from all the other guys," Natasha muttered. Loki smiled.

"Of course, darling. Thank you for coming. I needed some time away from Anthony, he will be the death of me at this rate." Loki replied, resting a reddish cushion gently onto his lap.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"We all know Tony's a bit crazy, Loki. What's troubling you? Has he been drinking a lot lately?" she queried. Loki waved it off.

"Oh no, none of that. I'm really not quite certain...it's more about how he reacts to Sleipnir. He is insistent on doing everything for Sleipnir, but it is becoming extraordinarily excessive in recent times."

Natasha's eyes lowered.

"You don't know then, do you?"

A pause occurred. Loki swallowed.

"Know what?"

"His father, you see, was a rather negative influence on Tony's life. He never told him he loved him, let alone liked him. Didn't really care for him. Tony tried very hard to impress Howard, but...he never paid attention to him. Sent him into depression. He didn't get to have a proper childhood, because his father was so cruel to him. That's probably why he's so attentive to Sleipnir, because he'd rather not follow in Howard's footsteps."

Loki's lips grew into a thin line, a bit of regret fizzling upon his features. He looked down at the palms of his hands.

"Oh." was all he could say. What else could he? Sure, Loki knew that when Sleipnir was old enough, they would have to sit him down and tell him he wasn't entirely a human child (without speaking of Svadilfari of course, they never wanted that to come out. It wasn't necessary, and would be cruel on both the boy and Loki to live with that regret and fear). Loki wanted to not do what Odin did, and not lie to him his entire life about what he was. He wanted Sleipnir to know he was loved and cared for, by both Tony and Loki.

He hadn't known why Tony was so protective and overly generous to Sleipnir. Now he understood. He understood completely.

And he would make things work out, for the both of them.

~.::.~

When Sleipnir Stark turned five, he was already forming whole sentences.

He jumped, ran, and walked about. Still a bit small for his age, but incredibly intelligent. Laughing, giggling, playing, just like any other Aesir or mortal child.

His hair grew dark brown and spiky, with wild hazel eyes.

Loki thanked the Norns those eyes were hazel. There would be no other way the child would look like Tony for that matter. It made it so much easier for Sleipnir to never find out about Svadilfari and the crimes that his Vanir, biological father committed to create him.

And he was absolutely beautiful, either way.

Loki was reclined on the couch, listening as Sleipnir talked to the computerized AI's around their floor of Avengers Towers. Tony had his arm around his shoulder, watching the television ahead, some NASCAR race on television.

"JAHWIS! How fah is the mwoon from here?"

_"The moon is approximately 238,900 miles from Earth, young Mr. Stark."_

Sleipnir smiled.

"Thank ya JAHWIS!" the boy chirped back.

"Why don't we give JARVIS a break now, darling?" Loki called. Sleipnir nodded.

"Okay momma!" and waddled off towards his bedroom.

"He's becoming too smart," Loki noted, nudging Tony with his shoulder. Tony looked up from the game, raising an eyebrow.

"If I had it my way, he would've been with tutors here from the moment he was born," he joked. Loki rolled his eyes.

"The Allfather has offered to train him in magic and swordsmanship when he reaches the age of 10." Loki pointed out.

Tony curled his lip in distaste.

"Why? Science is wayyy cooler than magic." Tony argued.

"Keep in mind Thor has not birthed an heir to the throne. As the other prince of Asgard, any heirs I bear are also in line to the throne. Sleipnir is the first born. He will be the next King of Asgard."

Tony nearly spat out his drink.

"You never mentioned this before...woah woah woah...he's gonna be a KING? My boy!?"

Loki nodded.

"Eh hem. _Our_ boy. It would appear so. The Allfather has consented to teaching Sleipnir all he needs to know about ruling and thrones and honor...etcetera etcetera," Loki thumbed through his book, going back into indulging in his runes and magical bindings that Tony could not read nor understand.

Tony slumped back, staring into the television blankly with shock.

"My son's gonna be a king. Well... hot _damn_."


	24. Chapter 24

Sleipnir hugged his green plush t-rex to his chest, closing his eyes when Tony bent over, kissing his forehead gently.

"'Night, daddy!" the boy squeaked, "I wuv you~"

"I love you too, Sleipnir. Get some good rest, okay? You'll need it if you want to play more tomorrow." Tony replied back, ruffling his boy's dark brown locks. Sleipnir nodded, snuggling into his blankets.

Tony quietly closed the door, finding Loki was in the kitchen, digging through the fridge for something to nibble on. Tony grinned, hoping Loki wouldn't discover his surprise too soon.

"Planning on stayin' up a little longer with me?" he flirtatiously called. Loki shrugged, shutting the fridge when he found the box of strawberries, placing it placidly onto the marble counter.

"Not really," Loki mumbled, popping one of the crimson fruits into his mouth. Tony crept forward, holding something behind his back, his grin widening.

Loki raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother to continue playing around with him. He reached for the box again, but Tony was quicker, shoving a vintage wine bottle into his hand.

"I got your favorite! I had to look all over town for it...'Crimson Mischief'." Tony exclaimed.

Loki placed it on the counter, then snatched up the box and left.

"No thanks."

No. Thanks.

This was unlike Loki, Tony thought in utter surprise, he always likes wine. He never declines wine. It's his favorite. It's the most heavenly beverage, in Loki's eyes, on Midgard.

He grabbed the wine glasses, pouring one and hurrying-though carefully as not to spill it, walked over to the couch and held it before Loki's thin lips.

Loki's eyes narrowed, a scowl unfurled upon his expression.

"No thank you, Anthony. I would rather not." he repeated.

"Aww babe, it's my little gift from me to you. You've been so stressed lately, lemme help you-"

"Anthony, I do not desire any alcohol." Loki growled, gently pushing it away from his face and folded his arms gently over his chest.

Tony felt a bit hurt. For the past few months, Loki had been sure acting strange. Moody, tired, achy. Never wanted to have any drinks, didn't want to have any frisky fun. He was...different. And it was worrying him.

"Alright, whatever, no wine then. Y'know, what's up with you lately?" Tony shot back, but instantly regretted his tone of voice as a pure look of anguish crossed Loki.

The god tilted head upwards, anguish changing to anger.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean, 'what's up with me.'" Loki rebuked suspiciously.

"I've been trying to do nice things for you and you won't let me! You work so hard around the house and I wanted to pay you back, is that so hard?" Tony scoffed.

"Politely I said no. It does not mean I will not have a taste in the future, but I would rather not have any wine at this point in time. It's not healthy for me in my state."

Tony sighed, settling down into a nearby recliner with a thump, rubbing his temples with his fingertips.

Then his head jerked up.

"Woah-what do you mean by 'state'?" he questioned.

Loki stood up immediately, about to leave, but Tony spun out of the chair, grabbing him by the arm.

"Slow down, Reindeer Games, we're having a discussion. What are you keeping from me?" he continued. Loki sent him a chilling glare.

"Anthony, let go of me." he spat venomously.

"Nuh-uh, I won't until you answer me. We're married, Lokes, we're supposed to be honest with each other." Tony pointed out.

"That's funny, I do recall a former marriage where no one was honest to me."

"Oh come on, I'm _not_ Fairy-guy! You know this!"

"Keep it down, Anthony, for the Norn's sake I'd rather not have Sleipnir hear."

"What is so wrong that you can't talk to me?"

Loki ripped his arm from Tony's iron grip, gritting his teeth. However, his facade of rage quickly faded into submission, this kicked-puppy sort of appearance enveloping him.

He took Tony's hand gently, moving it to touch his stomach. Tony cocked his head for a moment.

"What are you..." he began, but when a fluttery sort of feeling reacted to the touch of his palm, he squealed in excitement.

"Oh! Oh are you serious, Lokes?" he cried joyfully. Loki still wasn't smiling.

"Wait," Tony continued, "Why would you want to hide this from me? Did you think that I wouldn't...wouldn't love it?"

Loki's frown deepened.

"No, not the love for the unborn child, _but_-" Loki mumbled.

"Sleipnir. You were worried I wouldn't love Sleipnir?"

When Loki hesitantly nodded, Tony wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

"He's my son, Lokes. I don't care where he came from, he's ours and I love him, okay?"

~.::.~

Loki hated ball games.

He tolerated them because Sleipnir, Tony, and Thor liked them. He could honestly care less.

He was seated beside Jane, who was clearly as bored as he was. Sleipnir and Levinia, the blond-headed daughter of Thor and Jane, only a year younger than Sleipnir was (who was nearly six).

For now, Loki had an enchantment upon his stomach to give the commoners of Midgard the appearance of virtually no pregnancy. However, he felt like a walking watermelon-swollen, achy, and exhausted, and nearly to burst.

"So have you figured out what gender it's gonna be?" Jane casually asked. Loki forgot that she, as well as Tony and Thor, were excused from the enchantment.

"No, but I believe Anthony is hoping for a girl," Loki responded, "I have no preference."

"That would be wonderful! Levinia could have a playmate!" Jane chirped.

Loki shrugged, gesturing to where the two children were chattering about.

"I believe she already has Sleipnir, my dear." he mused, unable to keep down his cheery grin.

"At the rate in which their friendship is going, I would not be surprised to hear wedding bells chiming by the time Sleipnir's seven."

"I'm going to ensure that he takes up his royal duties before then," Loki reprimanded. Though he sounded stern, he was clearly amused.

Thor and Tony started shouting something cheerily as a home run was made for the team. Sleipnir waved his little fists in the air, joining in.

Loki smirked for a moment, basking in the happiness that was his family. The family that he had never believed he would ever have. And now he wasn't ever going to be alone.

~.::.~

"Must you go? What if the baby-"

"I trust you, Lokes. Everything will go fine and as planned. I'm only gone for two weeks, and it's not that far out. DC, major press conferences, if I don't go, Pep will skin me alive. When I get back, it'll be like normal, okay?" Tony reassured.

When Loki's scowl didn't alter, Tony sighed, leaning down and kissing his husband's tightened knuckles.

"Aw, don't give me that look. It's not like I haven't been out and about before."

"I wasn't _near birth_ any other time you've been on a trip," Loki retorted a bit gloomily, "_Anthony_..."

"It'll be fine. If anything happens, I will cancel the conferences and fly here to be right there with you. You have Jane and Bruce's numbers, right?"

Loki nodded slowly. Tony smiled.

"I'll be back before you know it, babe, and once my girl's born, we're going to Malibu!" Tony squealed. Loki couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"I'm not so sure, Anthony. I think this one's a boy." he mused.

"It'll be a girl, I know it. I'll love it either way!"

~.::.~

**A/N: The last few of these chapters are going to flow sort of like a long epilogue to the initial story. I reassure you a lot of fluff and feels are in store!**

**If anyone is interested, I am writing another FrostIron fic called "Curiosity", an Alternate Universe fic in which Loki is an Avenger :) I am actually rather happy with how it is turning out. It's on my user page, so far no explicitness or nsfw (though there might be later, I don't really think there will be). I am also writing a very lengthy Lokane (Loki/Jane) oneshot, but I don't know when that will be finished and posted. **

**Thank you all for your reviews/follows/favorites. I promise these next few chapters of fluff are for all of you who have stuck with this story 'till the end. I appreciate you all very much :)**

**-PhantomLilac**


	25. Chapter 25

Loki moved up from his place where he had been lounging, eating away at yet another box of strawberries (it was an odd craving, he would admit, but their sweetness won him over every time). Sleipnir played with his model airplane, running amok throughout their floor of Avengers Towers.

'Anthony is surely going to kill him when he sees the mess Sleipnir has made,' he thought tiredly. He drowsily took steps towards his son, in hopes to console and have him clean up his disaster zone.

Instead, Sleipnir darted past him in a fit of giggles, too close to Loki's legs for comfort. He panicked, whirling around to stop him, but misplaced his footing. Quickly, Loki tumbled, panic flaring in his chest as he tripped.

At the last second, Loki's hands made contact with the floor, barely bracing himself from any serious injuries. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing Sleipnir had stopped, rushing back to help his mother.

"Mummy? Mummy are you alright?" he squeaked. Loki gave a reassuring smile.

"I'll be alright, darling," he murmured, before his voice grew stern, "Do not run around so quickly again, is that clear? A lot worse could've happened today, you know that, right?"

Sleipnir nodded a bit remorsefully. Loki shifted onto his elbows, moving to attempt to regain his posture and back onto his feet, when...

Pain. Pain shot through his lower torso, engulfing him in a brief second. Fear and anguish crashed over him, and Loki crumpled onto his side, clutching his stomach tearily. His vision went white, all outside noises becoming muffled at once.

His water had broken.

Damn, damn, damn! He knew this would happen! He should've tried harder to convince Tony...damn Tony too for being so stubborn!

"Muuuuuum! Mummy! Please don't die!" Sleipnir's sobs erupted him from his temporary trance. Through the burning pain, Loki swallowed, forcing himself to sit up, scooting to prop himself up against the backing of the couch.

"It's...it's okay. Don't panic, Sleipnir. Can you get me the phone?" Loki attempted to reassure, biting his cheek hard as soon as he was finished, anything to well down the agony.

Sleipnir dashed off, searching for the StarkPhone. Loki rested his head backwards, his breath hitching in his throat, before muttering some pain alleviating spells, making it a little more bearable.

It was seconds later Sleipnir resurfaced, holding the phone out to his mother. Loki took it graciously, shakily dialing in Bruce's number as Tony had taught him. He held the phone to his ear, cursing as it was taking too long.

He tried again. Bruce did not pick up. "Busy." kept popping up. Loki let out a hiss of rage. There went one option.

"Sleipnir, hold it up for me, I'm video calling your father, okay?"

Sleipnir once again nodded, tears starting to form in his eyes. Loki swore under his breath, wishing the nearly six year old Sleipnir did not have to see him in this state.

Tony's face appeared on the tiny device.

"Hey Lokes~" he chirped, but then his cheery demeanor quickly faded, "You look terrible. Are you okay?"

"The baby has decided to join us early and Banner hasn't answered my calls!" Loki spat venomously. He didn't mean to sound so hateful, the magic he had woven to relieve his pain had quickly faded off again.

"Wait-what? Oh my god. Oh god...hang tight, I'll be in NYC in three hours flat, ya hear? I'll cancel all my conferences-"

"Send someone, Anthony! Get Bruce, I...ahh Norns!" Loki snarled, before wincing, an exhausted groan rolling from his lips.

Tony's lower lip quivered with worry, before he nodded.

"Alright, alright. I'm gonna try to get Bruce. Just hang in there, Loki. I love you, it'll be okay."

~.::.~

Fortunately by the time the plane docked and Tony had flown his way home frantically in his suit and all quickly to the Towers, Loki still hadn't delivered the baby yet.

To his surprise, Jane was there, sitting down with Sleipnir and comforting the boy. Tony sighed, wiping his brow. Jane glanced up his way, smiling in utter relief.

"Sleipnir had quite a scare earlier. Loki called me for help. Bruce's helping him now, if you were wondering." Jane pretty much answered all of his questions.

Tony nodded his thanks, taking a seat down on the adjacent couch. Sleipnir practically jumped up from his small chair he had been tucked into a ball in, running to his father and burrowing against him in grief.

Tony raised an eyebrow out of genuine concern, gently wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders and hugging their bodies close together.

"Don't be worried about your mom, Slei. He didn't mean to frighten you."

Sleipnir let out a whimper.

"Mummy's hurt and it's my fault." the boy cried.

"Hey lil' man, don't say that. The baby just decided to join us, there was no other choice. You didn't do it, don't feel bad for it, okay?"

Sleipnir sniffled, pressing his teary face into Tony's black blazer. Comfortingly, Tony rubbed his back, smiling a little bit.

"Loki's been asking for you. I'll take care of Sleipnir again in the meantime if you'd like to go be with him for the last few moments." Jane offered politely.

"Ah, yeah. I would. Slei, you gonna be okay for a few minutes while I go check on your mom?"

Teary-eyed, Sleipnir wiped his face and nodded.

"Don't let mum die please." came the keening response.

Tony ruffled Sleipnir's fluffy brown locks, bending down and kissing his forehead, before vanishing into the bedroom.

~.::.~

Almost immediately did Loki's head snap to his direction, mad pain raking across his face, before with an incredulous wince and shriek, squeezed his eyes shut and turned away from Tony.

Tony rushed forward, taking Loki's pale, strained and boney hand and squeezed it gently, allowing Loki to wrap his fingers into his own and hold on. Sweat was beading down the god's face, his swollen belly practically at its peak as another contraction rolled through him.

"It's almost over," Bruce said, sweeping with utter exhaustion.

After a long time of pain, suddenly...there was life.

~.::.~

They named her Hela, a norse word for "death." Loki found it humorous, Tony did not. And then of course, she became an independent, sassy little girl, and practically lived up to her name.

Even at age seven, with her long black curls and her big amber eyes, she was definitely Tony's daughter as much as Sleipnir was Loki's son. She was more interested in science and creating things from metal at such a young age and Sleipnir cared more for sorcery and lessons.

It seemed perfect. Loki and Tony were married, had two children, and were living independently, happily. Sarcasm and all.

And then the Chitauri came back.

~.::.~

**A/N: Yes I brought the Chitauri back -evil cackle-**

**Again, sorry for the very long wait and rushed chapter x.X . I was at so many cosplay conventions and I have more coming up so no time ahhh.**

**This fanfic has a few chapters left, these past few have been in place so you understand what is going on starting next chapter (because I would hate to have confused you all if Hela suddenly appeared in their lives and no one knew who the heck she was, or if Sleipnir was training to be a mage)**

**-PhantomLilac**


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